Hanoi: Overseas Vietnamese (OVs) in Japan, Australia, Algeria, Thailand and Laos celebrated Tet (Lunar New Year) Festival at gatherings held in their host countries as the national biggest traditional festival is approaching. The Consulate General of Vietnam in Japan's Osaka city held a Tet get-together for the Vietnamese community and foreigners in Kansai region on February 2. At the event, Vietnamese Consul General Ngo Trinh Ha laid stress on the 50th founding anniversary of the Vietnam - Japan diplomatic relations in 2023, with more than 500 activities held, helping to improve mutual understanding and tighten the friendship between the two nations. Conveying condolences to the victims of the earthquake that struck Japan on January 1, Ha spoke highly of the support from organisations and individuals for quake-hit people, including the Vietnamese community. He expressed his hope that the Vietnamese community in the region will promote solidarity, enhance exchanges with local people, and become stronger i n the coming time. On the occasion, more than 250 guests were treated to traditional Vietnamese dishes and art performances staged by Vietnamese people in Kansai region. While in Canberra, Australia, a get-together was organised by the Vietnamese Embassy on February 3. Sending his online Tet greetings to participants, Ambassador Pham Hung Tam highlighted Vietnam's achievements in 2023 amidst gloomy global economic situation, and a milestone in Vietnam - Australia relations as they celebrated their 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations and 5th anniversary of their Strategic Partnership. The Vietnamese Party and State attach much importance to and want to unceasingly consolidate the great national solidary bloc, with OVs being an inseparable part, he said, adding the embassy and Consulates General in Australia have seen the community-related work as their top priority, and hope to bolster solidarity, sharing and mutual support among Vietnamese people towards the development of the community and the natio n as a whole. Tam wished that the Vietnam - Australia relationship will develop in a practical manner and the Vietnamese community in the host nation will be stronger in 2024. Participants at the event had a chance to enjoy Vietnamese Tet favourites and musical performances to welcome a new year of prosperity. The Tet atmosphere was also in the air of Algeria as hundreds of Vietnamese nationals came to the embassy in Algiers to attend the Homeland Spring event on February 3. Ambassador Tran Quoc Khanh said that as the inseparable part of the country, the OVs in Algeria have served as a bridge to connect the two nations, calling on Vietnamese nationals to continue promoting solidarity, joining hands to build the community as well as preserving and popularising the images of the Vietnamese people and culture among foreigners. The OVs expressed their delight and emotion when joining the event, affirming that they always turn the hearts to the homeland. Traditional dishes, and performances of music, traditi onal martial arts and lan (kylin) dance were featured at the festival. A similar event was also arranged for OVs in Khon Kaen city of Thailand by the Vietnamese Consulate General, which drew the participation of leaders from Khon Kaen city, the Consulates General of China and Laos, and many OVs who are living and studying in Thailand's northeastern region. Consul General Chu Duc Dung recalled the Party and State's consistent policy of seeing the OVs important resources of the nation, and hailed the OVs' contributions to the national development through cultural and religious exchange activities over the past time. The Consulate General stands ready to accompany and support the Vietnamese community, helping them promote solidarity and gain more achievements, he added. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese community in Laos organised Tet rituals at Phat Tich pagoda in Vientiane to honour their roots on February 4. On the occasion, the pagoda and benefactors presented 150 gifts, each worth 500,000 LAK (24 USD) to the i mpoverished and those with difficulties circumstances and disabilities in Vientiane, helping them have a warm Tet./. Source: Vietnam News Agency
Vietnam targets 500,000 tonnes of seaweed yield by 2030
Hanoi: The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has set a target to produce some 500,000 tonnes of seaweed by 2030 as part of the nation's seafood development strategy. With a view to spurring seaweed cultivation, the ministry will submit a proposal to the Prime Minister to develop seaweed as a major product in the seafood industry. According to General Director of the MARD's Directorate of Fisheries Tran Dinh Luan, Vietnam had some 16,500 hectares of seaweed that yielded 150,000 tonnes in 2023. Green caviar and Kappaphycus alvarezii plantation respectively gained farmers some 150-200 million VND (over 6,100 - 8,100 USD), and 60-80 million VND per hectare. The country has more than 887 kinds of natural seaweed with 88 varieties holding economic value that can be grown on a potential area of 900,000 hectares. With the global market growing 10% per year and a green consumption boom, the seaweed sector holds huge potential for further development. Kelp is an amazing carbon dioxide absorber. It is able to take in five times more carbon than most land-based plants, creating an opportunity to sell carbon credits through its cultivation. However, Luan pointed out several challenges of the sector, with a shortage of cultivation standards, environmental pollution and climate change to name as a few. In the coming time, the sector will focus on the nearshore plantation of green caviar and gracilaria verucosa from the north central province of Thanh Hoa to the south central province of Binh Thuan. It will also develop offshore cultivation of Kappaphycus alvarezii and imported varieties in the northern province of Quang Ninh and Hai Phong city, the central provinces of Quang Ngai, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan, and the southern provinces of Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Ca Mau and Kien Giang/. Source: Vietnam News Agency
Fight against cross-border smuggling tightened
Lang Son: The customs force is stepping up the fight against cross-border smuggling in northern Lang Son province. This move follows booming import-export activities across these border gates as domestic consumer demand increases ahead of the Tet holiday. Rising cross-border shipments can correspond with an increase in smuggling and trade fraud. Customs officials at Huu Nghi International Border Gate have been implementing new legal regulations related to customs and import and export policies to create favourable conditions for customs clearance and good trading. Officials are also closely inspecting goods and their origins and conducting more comprehensive post-customs clearance inspections. Deputy head of the Huu Nghi Border Gate Customs Branch Phung Van Ba said his unit has deployed solutions to combat smuggling and trade fraud by increasing the screening of goods from declaration stage and each stage beyond. The unit will mark shipments that violate procedures for additional inspection to ensure tha t businesses do not violate shipping procedures, he said. Deputy head of Tan Thanh Customs Branch Nong Quang Hung said his unit has strictly controlled vehicles transporting goods into and out of shipping yards. The unit has also focused on classifying import and export channels and closely monitoring warehouses and other storage areas for goods. He added that his unit has discovered and handled at least 63 violations, imposing administrative fines of over 4 billion VND in 2023. Vu Tuan Binh, Deputy Director of the Lang Son Customs Department, said that the department has directed border gate customs units to specifically inspect exported and imported goods and items with high tax rates to prevent smuggled and counterfeit goods. He said customs authorities will collaborate with relevant government entities to strengthen the fight against smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit good shipments along busy shipping routes. Lang Son province is now home to seven border gates - Chi Ma, Tan Thanh, Coc Nam, Na N ua, Na Hinh, Huu Nghi and Dong Dang. According to the department, in 2023, units handled over 1,500 violations of smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods and issued fines totaling over 8.3 billion VND. Late last year, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang issued a plan for the prevention and control of cross-smuggling ahead of the 2024 Tet holiday. Under the plan, relevant ministries, agencies, and localities are required to build and implement campaigns to prevent smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit products through the Tet period and beyond. Measures include increased inspections and patrols along border areas and at border gates, seaports, airports, and routes where smugglers often transport goods and commodities into Vietnam. The Deputy Prime Minister also asked government bodies to strengthen market inspections, including inspections of the e-commerce platforms and social network pages such as Facebook, Zalo, and TikTok. The Deputy Prime Minister's plan also emphasised a focus on preventin g the smuggling of banned products, low-quality products, high-tax products, and essential commodities serving consumers during Tet./. Source: Vietnam News Agency
CPV’s prestige reflected in criticism, self-criticism spirit: Cuban expert
Havana: The prestige and strength of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) are reflected in the revolutionary spirit as well as the spirit of criticism and self-criticism of each party member, according to Dr. Ruvislei González Sáez, one of the leading research experts on Vietnam in Latin America. Talking to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)'s correspondent in Havana, Dr. González Sáez, a senior researcher at the Cuban Centre for International Policy Research (CIPI), said 94 years after its establishment, the CPV today has become the second largest Marxism-Leninism-oriented political organisation in the world, with a large number of members, just after the Communist Party of China. Thanks to reforms within the Party consistent with historical circumstances and specific objective conditions, combined with theoretical and practical factors, the CPV has played a great leading role in improving socio-economic conditions and enhancing the country's position in the international arena. Stressing victories gained by V ietnamese people under the leadership of the CPV, the Cuban expert affirmed that in 1986, it was the CPV that promoted the changes to take Vietnam from one of the 15 poorest countries in the world to one of the 15 most economically dynamic countries on the planet in 2023. With the CPV's firm determination and sound direction, Vietnam stood firm and continued on the socialist path in the 1990s when the Soviet Union and socialism in Eastern Europe collapsed. The CPV has cleverly solved differences with former enemies and through its bamboo diplomacy, the country has maintained its relations with world powers, he said. According to the scholar, like any political organisation in the world, the CPV has also faced countless challenges, but the most important thing is that the Party has known how to identify the problems and fiercely solve them. Under the leadership of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, the prestige of the CPV has increased. For more than 20 years, Vietnam's economic growth has surpassed 5%, except for the worst time in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic when Vietnam was still one of the five strongest growing countries in the world with a growth rate of 2.9%, he added./. Source: Vietnam News Agency
President offers incense to late leaders, visits former leaders on Tet occasion
Hanoi: President Vo Van Thuong has offered incense in commemoration of some late Party and State leaders, and visited several former leaders on the occasion of the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet) Festival. President Thuong offered incense to commemorate comrade Truong Chinh, who undertook many important positions of the Party and State during his more than 60 years of revolutionary activities from 1925-1988; and late President General Tran Dai Quang. He also visited former Presidents Tran Duc Luong and Nguyen Xuan Phuc, during which he wished the former leaders and their families good health, happiness, and longevity. President Thuong expressed his hope that they will contribute more brainpower and experiences to the country's development./. Source: Vietnam News Agency
NA Chairman signs to attest revised laws
Hanoi: Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Vuong Dinh Hue has recently signed to attest the revised Land Law and the revised Law on Credit Institutions. The amended laws were officially passed on January 18, as part of the 15th NA's 5th extraordinary session. The revised Land Law saw 432 out of the 477 NA deputies present at the session voting in favour, or 87.63% of the total number of legislators. Consisting of 16 chapters and 260 articles, this law specifies the land ownership regime, rights, and responsibilities of the state representing the collective ownership of the people over land. It also addresses unified land management, land use and management regimes, as well as the rights and obligations of citizens and land users regarding land within the country's territory. The amended law, except for some of its specific provisions, will come into force on January 1, 2025. Meanwhile, the amended Law on Credit Institutions sailed through the legislature with 450 yes votes, or 91.28% of the total NA d eputies. The law, comprising 15 chapters and 210 articles, will be effective from July 1 this year. It outlines provisions regarding credit institutions' establishment, organisation, operations, early intervention, special control, restructuring, dissolution, and bankruptcy. It also addresses the establishment, organisation, operations, early intervention, dissolution, and termination of activities of branches of foreign banks. Additionally, the law covers the establishment and operations of representative offices in Vietnam of foreign credit institutions and other foreign organisations engaged in banking activities. It further regulates the handling of bad debts and collateral assets of bad debts held by credit institutions, branches of foreign banks, and organisations fully owned by the State with the functions of buying, selling, and handling debts./. Source: Vietnam News Agency