Day: September 25, 2022

A roadmap for a green port system in Vietnam is being put forward to reduce impacts on the environment as well as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and promote energy efficiency.

 

The Vietnam Maritime Administration (VMA) cited statistics from the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) showing that GHG emissions of the maritime shipping industry increased nearly 9.6% between 2012 and 2018 (from 977 million tonnes to 1,076 million tonnes). CO2 emissions alone climbed from 962 million to 1,056 million tonnes.

 

It is forecast that until 2050, GHG emissions in the ndustry will increase 50% over 2018.

 

According to information released at the International Transport Forum 2020, emissions from maritime shipping activities cost an additional 12 billion EUR a year in the 50 largest ports in the world. Approximately 230 million people have been directly exposed to emissions at 100 seaports around the world in terms of shipping emissions.

 

Acting Director of the VMA Nguyen Dinh Viet said that on the foundation of the Transport Ministry’s approval, the administration has issued a plan to develop green ports in Vietnam.

 

Under the roadmap, a set of criteria for green ports has been set. From 2023, the green port model will be applied at some domestic ports.

 

In the 2023-2025 period, relevant regulations will be adjusted and supplemented to suit the criteria, Viet said, adding that national technical standards and criteria for “green ports” will be built and issued within 2025-2030.

 

Tran Thi Tu Anh, deputy head of the Science, Technology and Environment Office under the VMA, said that green ports in Vietnam will be constructed according to six main criteria – green port perception; resources usage; environmental quality management; energy use; information technology application; and emission reduction and response to climate change and rising sea levels./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

 

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has approved an action plan to implement the National Strategy on Green Growth from 2021-2030.

 

The plan aims to specify goals, tasks and solutions to realise the strategy and the national action plan for green growth.

 

Under the plan, the ministry will work to develop the agricultural sector in an ecological, organic, circular and low-carbon direction to improve growth quality, added value, competitiveness and sustainable development, while reducing pollution in agricultural production and rural areas, and promoting energy efficiency towards carbon neutralisation by 2050.

 

Specifically, the sector aims for 2.5-3% in annual growth, and 42% in forest coverage.

 

It will strive to increase the use of organic fertilisers to 30% of all those consumed, along with 30% of pesticides and at least 30% of farm areas using water-saving systems.

 

The sector will switch 300,000 hectares of rice to other crops with higher economic and environmental efficiency, while aiming for over 2% of organic farms out of the total farming area.

 

It will also upgrade small-scale breeding farms to larger scale ones, while applying solutions to protect fishery resources sustainably, developing concentrated material forest areas, recovering natural forests, and dealing with pollution caused by agro-forestry-fishery processing activities.

 

The agricultural sector will also take measures to encourage green consumption, strengthening the building of new-style rural areas in a greener and more sustainable manner, and improving human resources.

 

In order to ensure resources for green growth, it will mobilise social resources, especially those from businesses, while calling for financial support and technology transfer through international cooperation activities./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

 

The branded residence market is gaining a stronger foothold in the Vietnamese market with potential to further develop, shaping the lifestyle of the country’s elite, according to experts.

 

Duong Thuy Dung, Senior Director of CBRE Vietnam, noted that the first branded residence projects were developed 20 years ago in association with hotel management brands and motivated by the existing tourism market.

 

However, the situation is gradually changing as the business class, merchants and billionaires thrive in both quantity and quality, leading to increasing demand for luxury products.

 

Recognising these opportunities, luxury brands have joined the fray that led to the birth of branded residences. Worldwide, the supply of lifestyle luxury real estate accounts for about 15-20% of the total luxury real estate, she said.

 

She noted that in Vietnam, branded residence projects only appeared in 2021, but according to CBRE’s statistics, this model has overwhelmed the world real estate market with a proportion of over 60%.

 

Wealth-X, an US organisation specialising in wealth research, the number of rich people with net assets from 1-30 million USD in Vietnam is forecast to grow about 10.1% in the 2018 – 2023 period, putting Vietnam in the top five countries with the fastest growth rate in the world.

 

In 2021, Vietnam saw the first luxury real estate projects in the ultra-luxury segment selling for over 12,000 USD per sq.m. The Grand Marina Saigon and The Grand Hanoi have an average price of 14,700 USD and 25,000 USD per sq.m, respectively, with 70% of the apartments sold.

 

According to Dung, lifestyle branded real estate is not only seen as an asset but also a measure of the owner’s class. The appeal of lifestyle branded residences comes from connectivity with luxury brands and sustainable value. This type meets the needs of the elite – those who have the need to affirm their class and own branded items, and are interested in lifestyle and living experience.

 

CBRE forecasts that the trend of this type of real estate will develop strongly, especially in Vietnam, driven by the growth of the super-rich and the development of the luxury goods market./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

 

Xoe Thai, the unique folk dance of Vietnam’s Thai ethnic minority group, represents the convergence of cultural beauty, therefore, promoting the art is the shared responsibility of all Vietnamese, said Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

 

Chinh made the statement at a ceremony to receive the UNESCO certificate recognising Xoe Thai as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity held on September 24 in Nghia Lo town, the northwestern province of Yen Bai.

 

The PM, on behalf of leaders of the Party and State, congratulated the authorities and people of ethnic groups in Yen Bai, Son La, Lai Chau, and Dien Bien on the honour and expressed his belief that the recognition of Xoe Thai as Vietnam’s14th heritage inscribed by UNESCO is a moment of great pride for the Thai ethnic people and the community of the country’s 54 ethnic groups.

 

He praised generations of folk artists and the Thai ethnic community for their tremendous efforts to conserve this priceless cultural heritage.

 

He also thanked and praised the efforts of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, the National Council for Cultural Legacy, other relevant ministries, agencies, and localities, collectors, and researchers to preserve and promote Xoe Thai and Vietnam’s cultural heritages in general.

 

The Government leader expressed his hope that UNESCO’s Representative Office and Chief Representative in Vietnam Christian Manhart would continue to provide Vietnam with close cooperation and effective help to ensure that the country’s cultural values are widely spread and go in tune with the cultural quintessence of humanity.

 

To continue to create new vitality, spread, and strongly inspire the value of Xoe Thai, the Prime Minister asked the authorities, people, and Thai community in the northwestern provinces, as well as the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism to work together to effectively implement the “National Action Programme to protect and promote the value of the intangible cultural heritage of Xoe Thai art” in accordance with the commitment to UNESCO.

 

“Let us do it with enthusiasm, with heart, with pride, with inner strength, so that the lyrics and music of Xoe khan, Xoe non, Xoe quat, Xoe sap, Xoe gay, Xoe hoa [ Xoe dancing using various props such as scarves, hats]… continue to be nurtured, developed, and spread among the community of ethnic groups,” he said.

 

According to PM Chinh, the noble and beautiful value of Xoe Thai art should be protected and promoted internationally as well as domestically. Therefore, it is vital to recognise that this is the representative intangible cultural legacy of humanity and take appropriate action.

 

He urged expanding studies and coming up with concrete plans to protect and enhance the identity of ethnic groups in general and the value of Xoe Thai in particular in socio-economic growth and tourism development. He called for due attention to be paid to improving the lives of skilled artisans who are committed to preserving the heritage while also making it easier for people to experience and perform Xoe Thai in light of the country’s new development conditions.

 

At the ceremony, Pauline Tamesis, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Vietnam, presented the UNESCO certificate recognising Xoe Thai art as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity to the representative of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, as well as leaders of the People’s Committees of Yen Bai, Son La, Lai Chau and Dien Bien provinces.

 

Tamesis offered congratulations on this significant event and wished that the Thai community and Vietnamese people would continue to maintain, promote, and disseminate the significance of Xoe Thai art, while also contributing more to UNESCO’s activities and human culture.

 

Following the ceremony, attendees enjoyed the art space and experience the local distinctive culture through an art programme themed “Xoe Thai – Quintessence of the heritage land.”

 

Artists from Yen Bai, Son La, and Lai Chau all participated in the beautifully staged art programme, which featured all forms of Xoe Thai art.

 

The programme ended with the performance “The quintessence of Xoe art,” which brought together traditional folklore values that have become the heritage of the Thai ethnic people in the Northwest, with the involvement of more than 2,000 artisans and performers./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

 

The strengthening of international solidarity and cooperation is key to addressing interlocking global challenges, affirmed Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh while addressing the general debate of the 77th Session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York on September 24.

 

Minh underlined that the world is at a watershed moment in history as confrontation, conflicts and violations of international law continue to intensify, mirroring great power competition and unilateralism.

 

He pointed to a number of challenges facing the world, including COVID-19, climate change and many other non-traditional challenges, which have affected the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

 

To reverse this course, it is crucial to fundamentally change the ways of thinking and doing things, he stated, stressing that this entails reshaping a global approach to address global issues, enhancing resilience and placing people at the core of all development efforts.

 

And key to such an approach is international solidarity and partnerships at all levels, he underscored.

 

“We know this from our own history. International solidarity has been crucial for the success of Vietnam’s national liberation and reunification. Multilateralisation and diversification of partnerships, meanwhile, have proven indispensable in Vietnam’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, cooperation and development,” he said.

 

He proposed that confrontational and zero-sum game approach must be eliminated. Vietnam called for strengthened multilateralism and international cooperation in the spirit of openness, inclusiveness, equality and mutual benefit.

 

All actions, both individually and collectively, must be guided by and in accordance with international law and the UN Charter, he said, highlighting the need for strong and effective multilateral institutions, with the UN at the heart, to best address global challenges.

 

Regional organisations can pioneer and play a prominent role in bolstering multilateral cooperation, he added.

 

He noted that in South East Asia, ASEAN is doing its part to help address regional and global issues. The association is working to build a strong and united ASEAN Community and advance the central role of ASEAN in the regional security architecture, he said. Minh also highlighted the ASEAN’s efforts to seek comprehensive solutions to regional issues, including the situation in Myanmar.

 

Vietnam underlined the need for maintaining peace, stability, maritime safety and security in the East Sea, and called on all parties to resolve disputes by peaceful means, with full respect for legal and diplomatic processes.

 

“We call on parties to exercise self-restraint, refrain from unilateral activities and attempts to change the status quo, and not to threaten or use force, in accordance with international law including the UN Charter and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982,” Minh said.

 

He quoted the President of the 32nd Session of the General Assembly while welcoming Vietnam to the UN 45 years ago as saying that the admission of Vietnam marks a further step towards consolidating peace and security in the world.

 

45 years on and these statements remain valid, he held. “We have consistently supported and pursued a balanced and constructive approach in seeking lasting solutions to global issues,” he stated.

 

At the Human Rights Council, Vietnam has consistently worked to advance mutual understanding and respect, foster dialogue and cooperation. “We lead efforts to promote the rights of vulnerable groups in the context of climate change,” he said.

 

As Vietnam is aspiring a seat at the Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 term, the Deputy PM called for support from UN members during the run./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

 

At the top of the Tay Con Linh mountain range is Xa Phin hamlet, approximately 20 kilometres northwest of Ha Giang province’s Vi Xuyen district.

 

Xa Phin enjoys a chilly climate all year due to its elevation, sitting almost 1,000 metres above sea level.

 

This hilly terrain is characterised by fog all year and persistent rainfall with high humidity.

 

It is an ideal environment for plants to flourish and thrive, including thick green moss, which ethnic people use to cover the palm-leaf roofs of their homes.

 

Residents say a roof must be at least five years old before moss starts to grow on it.

 

The palm leaf roof has soaked up enough moisture to become pliable, and mould has begun to spread. The thickness of the moss on the roof can be used to determine the age of the home.

 

Most of the local population still maintain their traditional palm leaf-thatched-roof homes and way of life today. The mossy layers on the roof act as insulation, preventing the interior from being too hot in summer or too cold in winter.

 

The bold and rustic beauty of the mossy green roofs, along with the indigenous culture of the ethnic minority, makes Xa Phin hamlet an appealing location for those who love exploring.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency