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09/02/2024 11:00 (GMT+07:00)

VIETNAM NEWS HEADLINES FEBRUARY 9/2024

Can Tho focuses on agricultural, craft village tourism

Cái Răng Floating Market is one of the most popular rural tourism destinations in Cần Thơ’s Cái Răng District. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Liêm

Can Tho City is developing tourism products related to agriculture and craft villages to improve rural incomes.

With over 114,000 hectares of farming areas, or 79 per cent of its total land area, the centrally run city in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta primarily cultivates rice and fruits, and engages in aquaculture, providing a solid foundation for the development of agricultural tourism.

It boasts various agricultural tourism models, including orchard tourism services.

Phong Điền District, for instance, with nearly 9,000 hectares under fruits, has established over 30 orchards and ecological tourism sites across Mỹ Khánh, Nhơn Ái and Nhơn Nghĩa communes and Phong Điền Town.

Phạm Văn Hoàng, who owns the 9 Hồng orchard in Mỹ Khánh Commune’s Mỹ Nhơn Hamlet, said he collaborated with neighbouring orchard owners to cater to tourists, offering activities such as fishing in ditches, traditional cake-making and local culinary experiences.

In Bình Thuỷ District, the community-based tourism model on Sơn riverine island has become a magnet for tourists due to its diverse offerings such as caged aquaculture, fruit orchards, traditional cake making, and performances by snakefish and frogs.

Located in the Hậu River, a tributary of the Mekong, the island is renowned for its vast fruit orchards and hospitable locals.

Beyond agriculture, Cần Thơ is also home to 12 craft villages such as the Thuận Hưng rice paper making village and Thơm Rơm fishing net weaving village in Thốt Nốt District, Ba Rích cake and candy making village in Ô Môn District and Phó Thọ - Bà Hộ flower and ornamental plant growing village in Bình Thuỷ District, which have garnered significant tourist interest in recent years.

Thuận Hưng was designated a national intangible cultural heritage site last year.

The city has 140 products rated three or four stars under the national “One Commune-One Product” (OCOP) programme, and their diverse range comprising vegetables, fruits, processed agricultural goods, tea, spices, and tourism products are popular among tourists.

Mỹ Khánh tourism village recently became the first four-star OCOP tourism product in the delta.

Established in 1996, the village offers various services such as fruit orchard tours, hands-on farming experiences and authentic local cuisine.

Despite progress, agricultural and craft village tourism products in the city remain fragmented, primarily revolving around fruit orchards.

Craft villages lack immersive activities for tourists and have not yet collaborated with travel agencies to develop comprehensive tours.

To address these challenges, the city is implementing a plan to develop agricultural tourism from 2021 to 2025.

It prioritises the development of agricultural tourism in specific districts and aims to ensure all agricultural tourism sites and products meet quality standards by 2025.

In addition to traditional agricultural tourism, the plan also seeks to develop urban agricultural tourism and high-tech agricultural tourism to keep tourists longer.

It focuses on creating high-quality, diverse tourism products that align with the city’s identity, create high added value and meet tourists’ expectations.

It also aims to create a skilled tourism workforce and pilot models for rural tourism development that are environmentally conscious and sustainable.

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development will guide farmers in adopting clean and organic farming practices and promote the integration of rural tourism with agricultural tourism, craft villages, culture, and ecological conservation efforts.

Efforts will also be made to create linkages between producers of OCOP products and tourism providers to showcase the city’s OCOP and speciality products.

Tourist numbers have been increasing by an average of 12 per cent a year since 2010, with the city receiving 5.99 million visitors and generating total revenues of VNĐ5.4 trillion (US$221 million) last year.

Trà Vinh Province prioritises agricultural co-operatives

Trà Vinh Province plans to develop 10 new co-operatives in various sectors this year, giving priority to agriculture, according to its Co-operative Alliance.

The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province established 11 new co-operatives last year, taking its total number to 165, 122 of them agricultural.

However, most of them face difficulties, especially the agricultural ones, according to the alliance.

Last year 15 co-operatives were dissolved because of inefficient operations, capital shortage or lack of efficiencies of scale or linkages with companies.

Many do not have diversified trading and services models and cannot meet their members’ demands to develop production.

Many do not have brand names or geographical indication for their products, and do not produce to Vietnamese or global good agricultural practices standards.

Some do not operate as new-style co-operatives that require their members to use same materials for production, make same products and use uniform production processes.

Many products have high value but the co-operatives do not invest in packaging or labelling to participate in the national “One Commune-One Product” programme.

Thái Phước Lộc, chairman of the alliance, said the province administration has ordered his agency to help co-operatives access support policies, soft loans and advanced technologies.

That would help them develop, link up with companies and expand, he said.

The alliance plans to apprise co-operatives about trade promotion and advertising and using advanced techniques and organise visits for them to efficient co-operatives in other provinces and cities to learn from them.

It will help agricultural co-operatives develop farming models with value chains and produce high-quality products.

Local authorities will help agricultural co-operatives participate in the province’s socio-economic development projects and national programmes on building new-style rural areas, providing vocational skills and creating jobs and a quality workforce.

Effective co-operatives in the province have helped improve members’ incomes and create jobs in rural areas, and played a significant role in implementing national target programmes.

The Ngọc Thạch Agricultural Co-operative in Cầu Ngang District’s Nhị Trường Commune sells fertilisers, plant protection chemicals and rice seeds, helps farmers grow crops and guarantees outlets for them.

Four years after its establishment it has 40 members, 90 per cent of them ethnic Khmer, who grow 100ha of rice, corn for seeds and vegetables.

According to Thạch Dươne, its director, the co-operative sells quality materials for growing crops to its members and this helps them reduce costs.

It also instructs them in farming techniques and secures outlets that fetch prices that are 20-30 per cent higher than in the market.

Members earn average profits of VNĐ20 million (US$820) per hectare per crop from rice and VNĐ30-35 million ($1,200-1,400) from vegetables.

These are VNĐ5-10 million ($200-400) higher than before they joined the co-operative.

“The co-operative is in the process of registering a production code for its rice growing area for exports,” he said.

Lê Văn Phi, head of the Cầu Ngang Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Development, said co-operatives made a major contribution to the district’s socio-economic development and effort to build new-style rural areas.

Agricultural co-operatives have linked up with companies in various provinces to secure stable prices and outlets for their members.

The Ngũ Lạc Organic Agricultural Co-operative in Duyên Hải District’s Ngũ Lạc Commune has 56 members and has linked with companies in Trà Vinh and other provinces and cities.

Lâm Thành Cảnh, its director, said the co-operative had signed contracts with three companies to supply corn and okra seeds since 2022.

“[With the farm contracts], farmers feel secure and focus on tending their crops to improve yields and quality.”

Bến Tre farmer earns a good living with beautiful mushrooms

A farmer in Bến Tre Province is earning nearly VNĐ30 million per month growing colourful, eye-catching mushrooms.

33-year-old Mai Thị Ánh Xuân in Châu Thành District has a mushroom farm of more than 400 square metres, divided into six cultivation houses of 60 - 70 square metres with modern machinery.

She told Thanh Niên Newspaper that because she likes to eat mushrooms, in 2017, while working as a planner at a garment company in Bến Tre, she started experimenting with growing mushrooms, mainly to serve in her family's meals.

Three years later, she resigned from her job and established the Xuân Mai Mushroom Farm to start a mushroom cultivation venture.

She initially grew white and grey oyster mushrooms; however, after a while, she realised that the ease of growing these two types of mushrooms resulted in a saturated market with low selling prices.

To diversify mushroom varieties on the farm, Xuân researched and experimented with cultivating new and exotic mushroom varieties such as pink oyster, golden oyster and king oyster, among others.

Through hard work, dedication, and learning from media and social networks, her mushroom cultivation model succeeded. This success motivated the woman to gradually expand her venture.

"At present, the farm has more than 10 mushroom varieties. While pink oyster and golden oyster mushrooms are available all year round, other varieties are grown in rotation according to the seasons," Xuân said.

For example, Xuân grows termite mushrooms in June and lingzhi mushrooms during Tết.

Xuân's mushroom products do not use chemicals from production to storage and have achieved VietGAP standards.

According to Xuân, successful mushroom cultivation depends on three factors, including quality spawn, humidity and temperature, and care and hygiene during harvesting to ensure the next planting batches yield more.

Currently, with six mushroom houses, Xuân imports thousands of bags of spawn with various types and colours every month. Each month, her farm supplies more than one tonne of various mushrooms to the market.

In lunar July each year, output increases to nearly two tonnes because more people choose vegetarian meals.

The price of oyster mushrooms ranges from VNĐ50,000 to 60,000 per kilo; higher-end mushroom varieties fluctuate from VNĐ80,000 to 200,000 per kilo.

Thanks to this, Xuân earns nearly VNĐ30 million in profit every month.

Xuân’s farm does not only sell wholesale and retail but she also creates many mushroom products to serve people's needs.

Regarding her love for mushroom cultivation, Xuân told Voice of Việt Nam that "the mushroom profession brings about clean products, and I can diversify the products to meet the people's needs. In mushroom cultivation, one must be diligent, constantly explore, and find ways to enhance the product line. My farm produces many types of mushrooms that can be used for hot pot, and on occasions like October 20th or March 8th."

Currently, Xuân’s mushroom farm is also a place for students and tourists to visit. Here, people can experience growing, caring for, and harvesting mushrooms.

Heavily bombed province to clear 42 million sq.m. of land from cluster bombs in 2024

The central province of Quảng Trị has assigned organisations to clear about 42 million sq.m. of land contaminated with cluster bombs this year, said its steering committee for settling war-left unexploded ordnance (UXO) consequences.

The committee noted that in 2024, it will continue operating the mine action information management system; collecting, processing, and updating information about the organisations’ activities on the mine action database; and applying information technology to enhance the capacity of coordinating UXO settlement efforts.

It has also asked the provincial Military Command to submit proposals about support for UXO surveys in remaining areas so as to finish surveying across Quảng Trị in 2026-27 period and draw maps of UXO-contaminated areas.

From 2015 to April 2023, the Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) surveyed traces of cluster bombs in all accessible areas in Quảng Trị. It found 1,270 dangerous areas covering 615 sq.km of cluster bomb-polluted land, including 173 sq.km already cleared by international non-governmental organisations and the provincial Military Command and the remaining 442 sq.km. still being handled.

That has helped draw maps of confirmed dangerous areas and identify all the places contaminated with bombs, mines, and explosive materials needing clearance. It has also assisted relevant parties to gain an overview of the local UXO situation to make clearance plans.

Quảng Tri, located in the frontline between North and South Việt Nam during the Resistance War against America, was the most UXO-contaminated locality in the country. Since 1975, when the war officially came to an end with the reunification of Việt Nam, UXOs have caused over 8,540 casualties, including 3,432 deaths, in Quảng Tri. In particular, 31 per cent of the casualties are people aged under 16.

The province looks to become safe from UXOs left from war in 2025.

Film on cải lương to release in Tết

Sáng Đèn (The Light), a film on the 100-year history and development of cải lương (reformed opera), a traditional theatrical genre in the South, will hit cinemas in time for the Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday on February 9.

The film features a group of cải lương artists in the South in the 1990s, focusing on the challenges they face to preserve their art.

It also centres on the career of a veteran female performer, Hạnh, who makes sacrifices to pursue her dream and keep cải lương alive.

Themes of love, glory, and money are explored.

The film’s director, Hoàng Tuấn Cường, invited celebrated artist Lê Thiện to play Hạnh.

Thiện researched many documents and books on cải lương before filming.

“I hope my role as a cải lương performer who tries to preserve her art will help my career reach new heights,” said Thiện, who has more than 50 years in drama.

Cải lương star Kim Tử Long and famous drama actor Hữu Châu are also featured.

“I hope audiences will see a different Hoàng Tuấn Cường in Sáng Đèn. I have confidence in my capability,” said director Cường, a graduate of the HCM City University of Theatre and Cinematography.

“I wanted to capture the beauty of Vietnamese culture and theatre in my film.”

Cường became a star after his five TV series and films released in 2017, 2019 and 2023.

His thriller Vong Nhi (Dead Kids) was among the highest-grossing Vietnamese movies last year.

Sáng Đèn will be released during the two-week Tết season starting on February 9.

Marathoners to check-in new route and enjoy music at Cần Thơ Night Run

The first VPBank Cần Thơ Music Night Run 2024 will be held on April 12-13, promising a memorable event for local residents and tourists.

The tournament is jointly held by the Cần Thơ City's Culture, Sports and Tourism Department, VPBank and Nexus Sport Events.

According to the organisers, the tournament will take place for the first time in the form of a sports music festival combining running, singing, dancing and music, along with other activities.

The entire running track is arranged with water stations featuring street music stages, where bands rotate to perform throughout the race. The finish area is also the largest stage featuring many famous singers and music bands, which will heighten the emotions of both athletes and supporters.

Culinary stalls and typical local culture spaces will present the image of a harmonious and beautiful Cần Thơ, a city imbued with the identity of the river region.

"Music combined with sports in general, and running in particular, has become a new trend, in line with the strong development of the sports movement in Việt Nam recently," the organisers said on the tournament's official page.

"When artistic activities are combined with physical activities, it will create an inspiring, free and liberal lifestyle, bringing new and exciting experiences to athletes."

Under the message "Music Makes You Move", the organisers wish to create a unique music and sports combined space for participants, spreading a healthy lifestyle, promoting sports and raising people's awareness of environmental protection.

As many as 5,000 runners are expected to take part in three categories of 5km, 10km and 21km along with a 1.1km route for children.

The full marathon category will be added in the next editions to attract the attention of local and international elite runners.

About 170km from HCM City, Cần Thơ, known as the "Western Capital", is in the centre of the Mekong Delta.

A bustling and developed city, Cần Thơ is also a famous tourist destination in the Southwest region with famous landmarks such as Ninh Kiều Wharf and Cái Răng floating market.

Organisers also hope the annual run will be a highlight in the city's tourism plan and help Cần Thơ attract more visitors and businesses in the future.

VPBank has successfully made itself one of the prestigious brands in the running community, associated with large-scale events across the country from Hà Nội and Bắc Giang to HCM City.

VPBank's races, such as Hanoi International Marathon, Bac Giang Marathon and HCM City Midnight Marathon, attract a large number of runners every year.

Nexus Sport Events is a professional organiser of high-quality running activities. With over 10 years of experience organising and operating sports and entertainment events, Nexus has created and managed the Vietnam Nexus Marathon Series which covers races across the entire South and is set to organise running events across Việt Nam in the near future.

Da Nang amps up investments for education, training infrastructure in semiconductor industry

Various measures in weather forecasting, air traffic flow management and flight operations have been taken by the Việt Nam Air Traffic Management Corporation (VATM) to cope with the thick fog and low cloud cover at northern localities’ airports over the past few days.

According to VATM, in early February, thick fog at Nội Bài International Airport in Hà Nội reduced the visibility to under 300m, which has occurred only three times in the past 10 years, and affected landings and take-offs.

The corporation has applied Low Visibility Procedures at Nội Bài Airport which aim to ensure safety, regulation and efficiency for all flight operations at the airport when visibility drops below normal operating standards.

The procedures require technical standards for equipment and air traffic controllers, while pilots must be highly qualified and approved by the Civil Aviation Authority of Việt Nam.

The Air Traffic Flow Regulation Procedure in adverse weather conditions has also been applied. This is one of the air traffic flow management measures to balance flight operations demand and operational capacity at the airport when bad weather occurs.

The corporation has worked with the National Centre for Hydrometeorological Forecasting to strengthen efficiency in weather forecasting, especially in times when bad weather phenomena often occur, affecting flight operations.

Nguyễn Đình Công, VATM deputy general director, said the corporation would continue to research and coordinate with relevant agencies and units to improve service quality to prevent, limit and minimise negative weather impacts on flight operations.

According to the National Centre for Hydrometeorological Forecasting, foggy weather is forecast to re-occur until February 8 from night till early morning.

In a related move, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam required airlines to monitor weather developments and coordinate closely with airports, air traffic management centres, regional flight management companies and other aviation service agencies, to have appropriate plans for conditions of thick fog and low cloud cover.

Those units must prepare backup plans in case of flight schedule changes due to weather conditions.

The authority also asked the Airports Corporation of Vietnam and airports affected by the fog to mobilise more forces in charge of service and operation at the airports, and coordinate with airlines to apply solutions in case of flight schedule changes.

Renewable Energy Centre in Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu proposed

The PetroVietNam Technical Service Corporation has proposed building a renewable energy centre in Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu Province to bolster Việt Nam's position and reputation in the field of renewable energy.

Director-general of PTSC Lê Mạnh Cường said that since 2021, PTSC has added offshore renewable energy as one of its core business lines and has so far achieved and maintained most of the necessary certifications for the oil, gas and renewable energy services industry.

PTSC now has enough experience, facilities, equipment and is completely proactive in offshore surveys. It also provides most services to the offshore renewable energy industry, excluding blades and turbines.

In 2023, PTSC completed the fabrication of two offshore wind power transformer station projects for customers in Taiwan (China) and is expected to hand them over to customers in the first quarter of this year. At the same time, the unit signed new contracts and was awarded about US$1.5 billion for offshore wind power projects in Taiwan and Europe.

Cường said that PTSC's leadership team proposed that the Government create a legal corridor and policy mechanism for PTSC to build a Renewable Energy centre in Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu so that Việt Nam can be proactive in the service supply chain for the offshore renewable energy industry in the near future.

Deputy Prime Minister Trần Hồng Hà said that PTSC was mastering a very difficult and complex step in designing and manufacturing offshore wind power equipment that not many businesses in the world are capable of doing. PTSC had found a historic direction in offshore wind power development affirming Việt Nam's role in scientific and technological transformation.

The Deputy Prime Minister said that PTSC's idea of proposing to build a renewable energy centre will be supported by the Government, ministries, branches, corporations and Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu Province. PTSC will build a project plan and a clear roadmap to submit to the Government for research and consideration.

Caution against transmissive diseases necessary despite drop in cases

In the week leading up to the Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday in the Year of the Dragon 2024, the transmissive diseases situation in Hồ Chí Minh City showed a decreasing trend.

However, the city's Department of Health continues to advise residents to proactively take preventive measures to protect their health and that of their families.

The city's health sector closely monitors the epidemic situation, tracks the emergence of new variants, and promptly devises response plans for any abnormal situations.

During the pre-Tết week from January 29 to February 4, the epidemic situation in HCM City remained stable, with all types of diseases showing a decreasing trend. Specifically, the number of COVID-19 cases during the week was 25, a decrease of 28 per cent from the previous week and 40 per cent from the four-week average.

The cases of dengue fever and hand, foot and mouth disease have continuously decreased each week, since the beginning of 2024. In the past week, the city recorded 207 cases of dengue fever and 139 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease, decreasing by 24 per cent and 37 per cent, respectively, compared to the four-week average.

Starting from February 8, the COVID-19 vaccination and immunization activities in 22 districts and Thủ Đức City will be suspended until February 14 following the Tết 2024 holiday schedule for civil servants, officials and workers.

After the holidays, vaccination activities will resume. The specific schedule and locations for each area will be updated on the dealth department's portal. The types of vaccines currently available at the expanded vaccination sites in the city include the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine and various vaccines for children in the expanded immunisation programme, such as Hepatitis B, tuberculosis, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, Haemophilus influenzae type B, measles, Japanese encephalitis B, rubella, and the polio vaccine for pregnant women.

The emergence of the Omicron JN.1. subvariant in HCMC since December 2023, with new antigenic characteristics allowing the virus to easily evade immune system attacks, raises concerns about the rapid spread of COVID-19 during the Tết holiday.

However, there is currently no evidence that this variant causes more severe disease than other subvariants of Omicron. All existing SARS-CoV-2 strains currently cause similar COVID-19 symptoms, and the severity of the disease depends on the immune system status and health condition of each individual (whether they have underlying diseases or not).

In the face of the constant mutations of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, protecting people in high-risk groups remains a crucial and primary solution.

The HCMC Department of Health advises that during the Tết holiday, people in high-risk groups still need protection through measures such as controlling stable chronic diseases, receiving the full course of COVID-19 vaccines according to the Ministry of Health's recommendations, ensuring proper nutrition, staying hydrated, increasing physical activity, washing hands regularly, and wearing masks when in crowded places.