Day: July 3, 2022

The recently-approved master plan for the Mekong Delta region in the 2021-2030 period with a vision to 2050 is expected to create new values and changes towards sustainable and green growth, and long-term prosperity for the region.

According to Carolyn Turk, Country Director for the World Bank in Vietnam, the master plan demonstrated the whole-of-government approach and a strong commitment to promoting sustainable development and enhancing the climate resilience of the Mekong Delta.

The planning highlighted the new mindset and new vision for the region considered a global hotspot for climate change, she said. Hirai Shinji, Chief Representative of the Japan Trade Promotion Organisation (JETRO) in Ho Chi Minh City, said the master plan has well presented the view that the Mekong Delta’s development is in line with the socio-economic development of Vietnam in general.

Former Director of the Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Dang Kim Son said during the planning process, Vietnam had learned lessons through the involvement of experts from the Netherlands – the country is facing sea level rise, but ranks second in the world in exporting agricultural products.

He underlined the need to promote regional linkage and involve domestic and international investors developing the region.

For her part, Dutch Ambassador to Vietnam Nienke Trooster said to achieve the goal of turning the Mekong Delta into a land suitable for economic development and worth living, it requires an integrated approach through supporting and promoting high-value and sustainable agricultural production.

She recommended that the planning of the Mekong Delta should be carried out on the principle of conformity with natural ecological conditions, and meeting the demand of consumers and the market.

Meanwhile, Turk said the planning should be accompanied by a strategic and feasible action plan, which investment priorities in a time frame and with certain resources for socio-economic development are clearly defined./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Vietnam aims to replant or transplant about 107,000ha of coffee in the 2021 – 2025 period, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

According to a project approved recently by the ministry, the productivity is expected to rise to 3.5 tonnes of coffee bean per ha, with an income 1.5-2 times higher than before, the ministry said.

The combined area in the five Central Highland provinces is projected at around 91,000ha, with Lam Dong making the largest share (36,000ha), followed by Dak Lak (24,000ha), Dak Nong (18,000ha), Gia Lai (11,000ha) and Kon Tum (5,000ha).

Other localities like Son La, Dien Bien, Quang Tri, Binh Phuoc, Dong Nai and Ba Ria-Vung Tau will together contribute 16,000ha.

The ministry attention will be paid to stepping up scientific and technological application, as well as technological transfer, while building standardised irrigation systems.

Support policies will also be rolled out, aiming to reduce losses, encourage cooperation and connectivity in production and consumption, and promote organic agriculture.

Speaking at a recent conference held in Buon Me Thuot city, the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak, Deputy Minister of the MARD Le Quoc Doanh urged businesses, industry associations and international organisations to coordinate with the MARD’s relevant agencies and localities to develop technical manuals and organise training classes on coffee replanting to directly support people during the replanting scheme.

He stressed that the Tay Nguyen Agriculture and Forestry Science Institute (WASI) need to continue research and test to produce new coffee varieties serving the replanting demand of the provinces, paying attention to producing coffee and tea varieties for both the central and northwestern regions.

According to the MARD’s Department of Crop Production, coffee is one of Vietnam’s main industrial crops, ranking second in the country in terms of area with 710ha.

Vietnam’s coffee yield is over three times higher than the world’s coffee yield, with a production of 2.8 tonnes/ha. The country has dominated the coffee industry as the second-largest producer in the world behind Brazil.

In 2021, Vietnam’s coffee exports reached 1.52 million tonnes, worth of about 3 billion USD, down 2.7 percent in volume, but up 9.4 percent in value year on year. Last year, Vietnam mainly exported Robusta coffee./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Positive changes in the real estate sector are crucial if the country wants to meet its green growth targets. Along with construction, the sector is the source of nearly 40% of carbon emissions in the world and consumes about 36 percent of total power generated globally, according to experts.

Real estate firm Savills cited the Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction 2021, which showed that in 2020, the real estate and construction sector accounted for 36% of global final energy consumption and 37% of energy related CO2 emissions, as compared to other end use sectors.

Building activities ares the reason for 27% of total CO2 emissions every year, it noted.

Savills General Director Troy Griffiths affirmed that real estate is an area that poses the strongest impacts on the environment.

In late 2021, the Government of Vietnam approved a national strategy on green growth for the 2021-2030 period with a vision to 2050, which aims to switch the country’s growth model towards a greener economy with the application of a circular economic model through the economical and efficient use of natural resources and energy, and developing sustainable infrastructure for higher growth quality, thus promoting competitiveness and reducing negative impacts on the environment.

According to Savills World Research Director Paul Tostevin, the number of office buildings meeting green criteria in cities remains modest, but this provided a good chance for investors to develop green real estate.

Sharing Tostevin’s ideal, Savills Earth Director Chris Cumming underlined that future office upgrades are driven by tenants and investors. The investment market will experience strong competition with green certified office buildings, he said.

He explained that cities pursuing green goals are paying increasing attention to carbon emissions from construction and giving priority to equipping themselves with new modern equipment./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has ordered faster administration of the third and fourth doses of COVID-19 vaccine as part of measures against the unpredictable pandemic situation, especially when the sub-variant BA.5 has appeared in Vietnam and raised the risk of a new wave of coronavirus infections.

According to the Government Office, to enhance pandemic control and create favourable conditions for socio-economic recovery and development, the Government leader has assigned Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam to continue directing the Ministry of Health, other ministries and sectors, and 63 provincial-level localities to drastically carry out anti-pandemic measures, especially accelerating COVID-19 vaccination.

He asked the Health Ministry and the chairpersons of the provincial-level People’s Committees to speed up the inoculation, particularly administering the third and fourth doses to people aged 12 and above, and the two primary doses to children aged 5 – 11 in a safe, scientific and effective manner.

He also requested sufficient and timely provision of medicine and medical supplies for the COVID-19 combat, as well as health examination and treatment.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Information and Communications was demanded to work with the Health Ministry and media agencies to boost communications to raise public awareness of the unpredictable pandemic situation and the Omicron sub-variant BA.5 so that people will support COVID-19 vaccination and continue practicing anti-pandemic measures./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Typhoon Chaba weakened into a tropical depression on July 3 morning, moving north of northwest with its eye located in the south of China’s Guangxi province, which borders northern Vietnam.

At around 4am, its wind speed fell to below 39km per hour, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting (NCHMF).

The north-western and north-eastern provinces should expect scattered thunderstorms and downpours, with rainfall from 10 – 30mm, and even 50mm in some locations, on the July 3 evening and night.

From July 4 – 7, the north will be likely to see heavy rain, the NCHMF forecast, adding that there is the possibility of tornadoes, lightning, hail and strong winds.

The mountainous northern provinces are at risk of being struck with flash flood and landslides, it said. Flooding is also expected at low-lying areas

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Central Emulation and Commendation Council held the third session in the 2021 – 2026 tenure under the chair of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in Hanoi on July 3.

The PM, who is also Chairman of the council, requested that emulation and commendation must be carried out in a precise, objective, transparent, democratic and open manner so as to creative motivation for deserving individuals and collectives and help prevent wrongdoings in evaluation and commendation activities.

At the meeting, officials discussed proposing competent agencies bestow the “Hero of the People’s Armed Forces” title upon some collectives and individuals of the Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Public Security.

PM Chinh said the granting of this title aim to not only honour contributions by and create momentum for recipients but also help inspire others in the armed forces and the country as a whole.

Participants also set up orientations for some tasks in the time ahead, including the assessment of an emulation movement calling on the entire country to join hands in fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines resumed services between Ho Chi Minh City and Jakarta (Indonesia) on July 2 after months of closure because of COVID-19.

The first flight in months, coded VN631, departed from HCM City for Jakarta at around 9:40am, with 144 passengers on board; and the return flight took off from Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport at 1:50pm carrying 171 passengers.

There are now regular round trips on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

This is another international destination Vietnam Airlines has relaunched air route to after the Vietnam reopened its border and lifted travel restrictions.

Nguyen Minh Toan, head of Vietnam Airline’s representative office in Indonesia, said there is high travel demand between Vietnam and Indonesia, and the resumption of an air route between the two countries, with three flights per week, marked a start for the carrier before it can recover the flight frequency to seven per week like pre-pandemic.

Travellers can visit its official website at www.vietnamairlines.com or Facebook fanpage www.facebook.com/VietnamAirlines; log in mobile app Vietnam Airlines; or contact its booking agencies for more information and further support./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Binh Duong posted a highest-ever trade surplus of around 6.3 billion USD in the first half of 2022 as its foreign trade has witnessed quick recovery since the beginning of this year on the back of the recovery of global production and supply chains.

The southern province generated nearly 19 billion USD from exports and spent some 12.7 billion USD on imports, according to head of the provincial Statistics Office Ngo Van Mit.

Its largest market in H1 was the US which imported about 6.4 billion USD worth of goods and services from Binh Duong, followed by the EU (2.2 billion USD), the Republic of Korea and Japan (over 1.8 billion USD), and Taiwan (China) (over 1.4 billion USD).

Binh Duong reported a quite impressive growth of 6.84% in Gross Regional Domestic Products (GRDP) during the period; with industry and construction expanding 7.58%; services 6.60%, and agriculture, forestry and fisheries, 2.95%.

More than 3,300 enterprises have newly established in the province from January-June, registering total capital of nearly 21.26 trillion VND (911.86 million USD).

It also raked in over 2.5 billion USD in foreign direct investment (FDI).

Source: Vietnam News Agency