Medical quarantine maintained at Tan Thanh border gate

The Tan Thanh - Po Chai border gate in the northern province of Lang Son resumed customs clearance on April 30 thanks to joint efforts from Vietnam and China to maintain trade amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

Customs clearance is now available daily from 8am to 11am and 12pm to 4pm (Vietnam time). As from May 1, customs clearance is also conducted on holidays and weekends.

On April 17, during phone talks with Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh, Director of China’s General Administration of Customs Ni Yuefeng decided to resume customs clearance at the border gate to reduce goods congestion in local border areas.

The Ministry then coordinated closely with the Vietnamese Embassy in China, the Vietnamese Consulate General in Nanning city in Guangxi province, and the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam to ensure Guangxi sped up the resumption, which therefore came earlier than the initial plan of May 6.

China had earlier intensified its disease prevention and control measures at land border gates, including those with Vietnam, which seriously affected customs clearance and the exchange of goods between the two countries.

The Chinese side’s decision to resume customs clearance at the Tan Thanh - Po Chai border gate is a positive sign for Vietnamese enterprises, but they are advised to keep a close watch on the situation and remain updated on relevant information to have a suitable goods regulation plan to avoid any congestion and losses./.

Tourism sector busy on holidays after social distancing eased

Tourist attractions around Vietnam have begun re-opening their doors after “hibernating” during the COVID-19 outbreak and hope to fully tap into the opportunities brought by the four-day National Reunification Day and International Labour Day holiday from April 30 to May 3.

The People’s Committee of the northern province of Quang Ninh decided to allow intra-provincial and inter-provincial public transport services and tourist activities from midday on May 1 on Ha Long Bay and at the Yen Tu relic site, the Quang Ninh Museum, the provincial library, and the Tra Co - Mong Cai national tourism site. The province therefore kick-starts its tourist activities three days earlier than originally planned on May 4.

According to a document the People’s Committee sent to relevant departments, sectors, and localities, from midday on May 1 inter-sectoral COVID-19 prevention and control stations will take the body temperature of all visitors to the province. To ease any congestion, those with no visible symptoms do not have to make a medical declaration.

Inspections and patrols are being maintained at border areas such as Mong Cai, Hai Ha, and Binh Lieu.

Businesses, hotels, restaurants, cafés, golf courses, and travel agents are allowed to resume operations, while public passenger vehicles are requested to carry half the number of regular passengers per trip and beaches have been asked to monitor any crowding.

As in previous years, many people have flocked to the Kim Lien relic site in northern Nghe An province’s Nam Dan district - the homeland of the late President Ho Chi Minh - during the four-day holiday to pay their respects, as May 19 is the birthday of the leader.

According to preliminary figures, the site welcomed around 7,000 people on April 30 and May 1. All had their body temperature taken and washed their hands with antibacterial sanitiser prior to entering the site.

Nguyen Bao Tuan, Director of the Kim Lien Relic Site Management Board, said it reopened its doors on April 28 and staff are guiding guests on disease prevention.

Neighbouring Thanh Hoa province has also seen an impressive number of tourists, especially to its beautiful beaches.

Deputy Director of the Thanh Hoa Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Vuong Thi Hai Yen said the top priority for the local tourism sector is the safety of tourists and the community.

Visitors must abide by all regulations on COVID-19 prevention and control when at tourist attractions./.

Forbes in Israel hails Vietnam’s political, economic, diplomatic achievements

Forbes magazine in Israel recently ran article entitled “Why should we think more about Vietnam?” that highlighted the country’s political, economic, and diplomatic achievements and its successful fight against COVID-19.

Lauding Vietnam as one of the countries with the highest economic growth in the world, standing at 7.02 percent last year, the article noted it has enjoyed an export surplus for four consecutive years in the context of falling trade in many countries.

Forbes said Vietnam has made much progress in improving its business environment and restructuring its economy over the past decade. The Global Competitiveness Index 2019 revealed the country had jumped ten places since 2018 to 67th, making it the most improved country.

The World Bank’s 2020 Doing Business report, meanwhile, ranked Vietnam 70th out of 190 economies based on two main factors: improved access to credit information through data distribution from retailers and upgraded information technology infrastructure that makes paying taxes easier for most businesses.

Its improved business environment has also helped it attract more foreign investment. Pledged FDI surpassed 38 billion USD last year; a ten-year high and representing a year-on-year increase of 7.2 percent.

According to the article, Vietnam has signed 12 free trade agreements to date, including “new-generation” deals with broader commitments. Impressively, the EU signed a landmark free trade agreement with the country in June 2019 - the first of its kind with a developing country in Asia and paving the way for tariff reductions on 99 percent of all goods shipped between the bloc and Vietnam.

Vietnam is also a member of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), it noted.

Lauding Vietnam’s achievements in terms of how the country dealt with the coronavirus outbreak, Forbes quoted the Financial Times as saying that “Vietnam has proved a model in containing the disease in a country with limited resources but determined leadership.”

Vietnam shares a 1,100-km-long border with China but had reported only 270 infections and no fatalities as at April 25, it said, adding that succeeding in containing the COVID-19 pandemic domestically allows Vietnam to have more room to play its key role in regional and international diplomatic forums.

Last year, with 192 out of 193 votes, Vietnam was officially elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2020-2021 term. This is the second time it has held the post, demonstrating its desire to contribute to global security and peace and proving it is a responsible member of the UN. Vietnam is also Chair of ASEAN in 2020 - the first time it has held the two positions at the same time. This presents an opportunity for it to take advantage of bilateral relations with other countries and create new momentum for enhancing its role and profile.

Vietnam was among the first in the world to reopen its economy following the COVID-19 outbreak, on April 23. It has maintained socioeconomic stability in recent decades and its favourable business environment and free trade agreements are expected to help increase foreign investment in the future.

International investors should consider investing in Vietnam, Forbes added, as many other countries are now struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic and the possibility of economic recession./.

First online hackathon solves COVID-19 challenges

The “Hack Co Vy 2020” online hackathon, the first of its kind in Vietnam, was held from April 24 to 26 with the aim of helping the country solve the challenges posed by COVID-19.

The hackathon was a joint effort by the Hanoi Youth Union in collaboration with the UN Development Programme and Angel Hack.

Winning teams now have the chance to join Angel Hack’s HACKcelerator incubation programme to realise and scale up their ideas.

Competitors were asked to create technological solutions to help people overcome the negative impact of COVID-19 - which are divided into six categories: education, climate, information, health, economics, and employment.

Within 48 hours the organising board received over 420 entries and 65 products. The best eight ideas received prizes.

At the ideatation track, awards of 2,000 USD and gifts from Amazon Web Services platform and HACKcelerator were presented to the DHSYN team with its quarantine management app Quaranhome, the O Ooo team with its Sechi app promoting the sharing of family responsibilities, and the Kids team with its Zero app that helps limit and reuse discarded food.

At the acceleration track, a 2,000 USD award was presented to the AIOZ team with its BettleBot project, which helps medical and security staff identify social distancing violations.

VinAI’s incubator programme also handed over 1,000 USD each to three teams with the best AI products: the Mam team with GudNews, AIOZ with BettleBot, and an X-ray liver image diagnosis app from the Import Keras team./.

Islet district develops specialised farming areas to adapt to climate change

Tân Phú Đông, an islet district in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Tiền Giang, has developed specialised farming areas to enable local farmers to adapt to climate change.

Located in the downstream area of the Tiền River, a tributary of the Mekong, the district is often affected by severe saltwater intrusion during the dry season.

The agrarian district is also one of Tiền Giang’s poorest.

Since its creation in 2008, the district has been zoning areas for aquaculture and crops like lemongrass, soursop and coconut, which grow well in local conditions.

Nguyễn Văn Hải, head of the Tân Phú Đông Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the district has determined it would develop its agriculture based on aquaculture and specialised farming areas.

The area under coconut area has grown from 500ha in 2008 to 1,200ha now while that under soursop has increased from 260ha to 780ha, mostly in Tân Thới, Tân Phú and Tân Thạnh communes.

There are 7,050ha of aquaculture ponds, twice the area in 2008.

It has 1,900ha of lemongrass, the largest area in the province, comprising mostly lands that used to be low-yield rice paddies that grew only one rice a year.

The district has developed Phú Tân into a specialised aquaculture commune that breeds shrimp using intensive and extensive farming methods and rotates between rice and shrimp in the same fields.

Phú Tân has 500ha under the rotation model.

Hà Văn Hải was one of the first farmers to adopt it. He breeds shrimp and mud crabs on his 5ha field in the dry season and rice in the rainy season to earn VNĐ360-400 million (US$15,300-17,000) a year.

The rotation model has helped his family become well off, he said.

He is the head of the commune’s aquaculture co-operative group which has 31 members and a total of 115ha of land under the rotation model.

It produces clean rice and shrimp since farmers do not use a lot of chemicals on their lands.

Local farmers have also adopted the garden - pond - livestock pen model to improve their income.

Lê Công Lữ has 6.5ha in Phú Đông Commune’s coastal area which regularly suffers from saltwater intrusion.

He grows coconut and breeds goats since they both can cope with lack of water and inclement weather and earns more than VNĐ300 million ($12,780) a year.

Farmers in the district also use advanced farming techniques like integrated pest management, efficient irrigation and Vietnamese good agricultural practices.

Nguyễn Quốc Khánh, chairman of the Tân Phú Đông People’s Committee, said the development of effective farming models has helped reduce the district’s poverty rate to 16.3 per cent from 42.5 per cent in 2008.

The district has a population of 43,000.

To mitigate the impact of saltwater intrusion in Tân Phú Đông, the province is setting up local irrigation projects.

In the 2019-20 dry season, the province has invested VNĐ13.2 billion ($560,000) to dredge ditches in fields and build temporary saltwater prevention dams to protect nearly 3,000ha of vegetables, fruits, lemongrass and other crops.

The district targets outputs of 28,000 tonnes of lemongrass, 7,800 tonnes of soursop, 2,500 tonnes of vegetables and 23,00 tonnes of shrimp this year.

The district’s lemongrass was granted a collective brand name last year by the National Office of Intellectual Property. 

JICA keen on railway station project in Danang

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) wants to help the city conduct research on railway station relocation and urban development through a public-private partnership (PPP).

This was announced late last week by the Danang Department of Planning and Investment after an online meeting between JICA experts and city leaders. At this meeting, the two sides also signed a memorandum of understanding on the development of Danang Port, including Lien Chieu Port and Tien Sa Port.

According to the department, two weeks ago, the City People's Committee sent a letter to the prime minister asking for approval to complete the railway station relocation and urban development project through a PPP under a build and transfer (BT) contract.

The Saigon Times found that the project, with total estimated investment capital of VND12.6 trillion (US$540 million), was mentioned in the Politburo's Resolution No. 33-NQ/TW dated October 16, 2003, on Danang’s development and again in Resolution No. 43-NQ/TW dated January 24, 2019, on Danang’s development until 2030, with a vision toward 2045.

The project is divided into two small projects with several phases and is expected to be completed in 2035.

The first small project with capital of VND10.24 trillion involves building the new railway station in Lien Chieu District, the new residential area on the site of the current railway station in Hai Chau District, the residential area for those being relocated from other sites and the traffic system for the new railway station. Meanwhile, the remaining VND2.4 trillion is for compensation and site clearance activities.

However, similar to the Lien Chieu port project, which was also mentioned in 2003 and needs a large amount of investment capital, this railway project still lacks the necessary investment procedures and is facing difficulties related to capital mobilization, compensation and site clearance.

Jan-Apr FDI posts positive results thanks to large projects

The total registered capital for foreign direct investment (FDI) projects in Vietnam in the first four months of 2020 has surged despite the impact of Covid-19 thanks to contributions from billion-dollar projects.

According to a report from the Ministry of Planning and Investment’s Foreign Investment Agency, there were 984 new FDI projects licensed with total registered capital of US$6.78 billion, down 9% in terms of the number of projects but up 27% in value compared with the same period last year.

In particular, the Bac Lieu liquefied natural gas-fired power project had US$4 billion in registered funding, accounting for 59% of the total registered FDI.

Meanwhile, 335 existing projects raised their investments by more than US$3.07 billion, increasing by 45.6% year-on-year. Of them, the Southern Petrochemical Complex project in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province raised its capital by US$1.386 billion.

With indirect investment included, Vietnam attracted US$12.33 billion in foreign funds between January and April, a year-on-year decline of 15.5%. However, this figure was 52.3%, 16.4% and 79% higher than that of the same period in 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

In the first four months, foreign investors spent nearly US$2.5 billion buying shares or contributing capital to Vietnamese firms, down 65% year-on-year.

Singapore was the country’s largest investor with US$5.07 billion, accounting for 41% of the country’s total foreign investment, followed by Thailand (US$1.46 billion), Japan (US$1.16 billion), mainland China, Taiwan and South Korea.

In terms of sectors, foreign investors invested in 18 industries. The manufacturing and processing industry took the lead with nearly US$6 billion, accounting for 48.4% of the country’s total, followed by power generation and transmission with US$3.9 billion, wholesale and retail with US$776 million and real estate with US$665 million.

Fitch Solutions lowers Vietnam’s projected credit growth

Research firm Fitch Solutions has forecast Vietnam’s credit growth will drop to 8% in 2020 from 13.7% last year due to the sharp slowdown in economic activity inflicted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Analysts from Fitch Solutions said weak economic activity will weigh heavily on credit demand, even with reduced interest rates.

The State Bank of Vietnam lowered its policy interest rates on March 17, taking its refinance rate to 5% from 6% and its discount rate to 3.5% from 4%. The overnight lending rate on the interbank market was also cut to 6% from 7%.

“We maintain our view that the ample liquidity in the banking sector technically should not warrant further interest rate cuts, as the key problem lies in a lack of loan demand amid a weak economic outlook, and accordingly forecast the refinance and discount rates to be held at 5% and 3.5%, respectively, through 2020,” the analysts reported.

Fitch analysts believe that both domestic and external demand will face strong headwinds in the coming quarters. Income losses due to a weak economic environment, which are likely to see workers being furloughed or having their wages reduced, will weigh on private consumption.

A weak demand outlook, both internally and externally due to the global economy sinking into recession, would also prompt businesses to conserve cash and delay capital expenditure. These factors would reduce demand for new loans.

“Banking sector earnings will also come under pressure. We expect this to be due to weaker demand for credit, narrower interest margins and the central bank’s Covid-19 crisis macroprudential measures.”

Based on SBV’s policy rate cut applied last month, deposit rates have been reduced by up to 0.3 percentage point, while lending rates have been reduced by 0.5 percentage point.

Though commercial banks are free to set their own interest rates for deposits of over six months, Fitch noted that unless banks reduce the interest rates offered on these longer-dated deposits by a sufficiently larger margin, they are likely to experience a net compression of their interest margins, compounded by weaker credit growth, and will see a fall in profitability across the sector as a whole.

“Macroprudential measures announced by SBV, such as the rescheduling of debt repayments as well as an exemption and reduction of interest and fees, to tackle the economic crisis will also slash banking sector earnings,” Fitch added.

Hau Giang speeds up construction of freshwater reservoir

Various government departments and agencies in Hau Giang Province have been asked to roll out a freshwater reservoir project in this Mekong Delta locality in a cost-efficient manner and develop ecotourism through the project, stated the province’s top official.

The project is facing a cost overrun. The construction of a road leading to the reservoir has affected 14 local households. The relevant units are collecting feedback on land prices to compensate those affected.

Since the project received funding from the Central and provincial budget, the relevant agencies have to take appropriate measures to avoid unexpected costs, noted Le Tien Chau, the provincial chairman, who led a working team to inspect the project’s construction progress on April 22.

Aside from storing fresh water, the reservoir could be used to preserve rare aquatic animal species in the region and help with the development of ecotourism, especially as it is located near a cajuput forest.

Besides this, the Mekong Delta province will call for investment in solar power projects nearby to fully tap the reservoir’s tourism potential, Chau said.

According to the province’s Transportation-Agro Works Construction Investment Management Authority, which is the project’s investor, the province had previously proposed the development of a freshwater reservoir after local people and the agriculture sector were hit hard by a severe drought and saltwater intrusion in 2016.

The province started work on the project in March last year in Vinh Tuong Commune, Vi Thuy District, with total investment of VND164 billion.

The reservoir has a holding capacity of some 1.8 million cubic meters. It covers an area of 50 hectares of land, with some 21 hectares covered by water. It is expected to be completed in March 2021 and will supply fresh water to over 248,000 local households in the province.

Banks will not ease lending rules for VND285t stimulus package

Banks will simplify lending procedures to help businesses easily access the VND285 trillion stimulus package, but they will not ease lending standards to ensure the stability of the financial and banking system, according to the State Bank of Vietnam.

To support businesses during the coronavirus pandemic, banks have introduced a credit package worth VND285 trillion with low interest rates. However, many businesses claimed they could not access the package and proposed that banks ease lending rules.

Nghiem Xuan Thanh, chairman of Vietcombank, said most companies that could not access the package are inefficiently operating their businesses. “Banks will not ease lending standards as they must avoid risk,” he stressed.

The package does not come from the State budget but from commercial banks. Some experts noted that the package aims to offer loans with low interest rates to businesses during the coronavirus pandemic but will not rescue inefficient businesses that are unable to pay their debts.

Tran Hoang Ngan, head of the HCMC Economic Development Institute, stated that banks are themselves businesses so they are always afraid of bad debts. If banks struggle with bad debts, the situation will worsen, similar to the 2008-2009 financial crisis.

Banks are not the only source of aid for businesses. Ngan said to save small- and medium-sized enterprises that find it hard to access the stimulus package, the Government should add more money to the credit guarantee fund.

Banks will not ease lending rules for VND285t stimulus package

Banks will simplify lending procedures to help businesses easily access the VND285 trillion stimulus package, but they will not ease lending standards to ensure the stability of the financial and banking system, according to the State Bank of Vietnam.

To support businesses during the coronavirus pandemic, banks have introduced a credit package worth VND285 trillion with low interest rates. However, many businesses claimed they could not access the package and proposed that banks ease lending rules.

Nghiem Xuan Thanh, chairman of Vietcombank, said most companies that could not access the package are inefficiently operating their businesses. “Banks will not ease lending standards as they must avoid risk,” he stressed.

The package does not come from the State budget but from commercial banks. Some experts noted that the package aims to offer loans with low interest rates to businesses during the coronavirus pandemic but will not rescue inefficient businesses that are unable to pay their debts.

Tran Hoang Ngan, head of the HCMC Economic Development Institute, stated that banks are themselves businesses so they are always afraid of bad debts. If banks struggle with bad debts, the situation will worsen, similar to the 2008-2009 financial crisis.

Banks are not the only source of aid for businesses. Ngan said to save small- and medium-sized enterprises that find it hard to access the stimulus package, the Government should add more money to the credit guarantee fund.

HCMC cuts electricity/water bills, taxes to support Covid-19-hit firms

HCMC will reduce local firms’ production costs, including electricity and water bills, taxes and land-use fees, to help them survive the coronavirus pandemic and make a quick recovery.

HCMC Vice Chairman Tran Vinh Tuyen on April 21 signed on a plan to support enterprises during and after the coronavirus pandemic until late 2020.

The municipal government assigned the HCMC Power Corporation to offer electricity bill reductions to residents and firms that temporarily shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic based on the prime minister’s directives, the local media reported.

Aside from providing water bill reductions to poor laborers, Saigon Water Corporation was told to work out policies to cut water supply charges for service providers, manufacturers and firms in the city.

The HCMC government also asked the HCMC Tax Department to allow Covid-19-affected businesses and individuals to delay payments of taxes and land-use fees.

As for social insurance payments, the HCMC Social Insurance Agency was tasked with instructing organizations, units and firms affected by Covid-19 to suspend their payments for social insurance benefits, such as retirement and death.

Apart from this, the HCMC government told the municipal Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs to cooperate with the HCMC Export Processing and Industrial Zones Authority and 24 districts to support employees who are out of work due to the pandemic.

The HCMC branch of the State Bank of Vietnam was also urged to work with commercial banks and credit institutions citywide to create more favorable conditions for Covid-19-hit customers and firms to access loans and to restructure loan payment periods and lower lending rates.

Besides this, the city is considering simplifying administrative procedures, including for customs, to boost goods transport and export.

VinAI Research announces new technology for recognizing partially covered faces

VinAI Research, under Vingroup, announced on April 20 that it has successfully developed state-of-the-art technology that allows users to use face recognition to unlock their devices without removing their face masks.

Designed with the principles of deep learning, VinAI’s face recognition technology enables phone cameras to identify users even if their faces are partially covered.

VinAI said it is willing to share the technology free of charge with programs that contribute to coronavirus infection prevention and control.

Bui Hai Hung, director of VinAI Research, noted that face masks are an essential item for people during the coronavirus pandemic. However, the accuracy of existing facial recognition technologies can be reduced by more than 50% if users wear face masks.

By using VinAI’s face recognition technology, people can easily unlock their phones without having to remove their masks, thus preventing the spread of the coronavirus.

VinAI has also developed a solution that automatically monitors people wearing masks on cameras. This solution will be helpful for organizations and companies when they resume operations after the pandemic.

HCMC’s economic growth in Q1 lowest in 10 years

With the coronavirus pandemic causing significant damage to most industries, HCMC’s economic growth rate in the first quarter of 2020 was just 0.42%, way below 7.64% in the same period last year and the lowest since 2009.

Speaking at a meeting on April 16, HCMC Vice Chairman Le Thanh Liem said that more than 1,520 businesses had shuttered in the first quarter, up 54.5% year-on-year, while nearly 5,090 businesses had suspended operations.

Nearly 1,000 people in the city lost their jobs, while more than 6,420 others were suspended from work. The Covid-19 pandemic is expected to affect 70,000 workers, especially those working for small- and medium-sized enterprises, in the coming months.

Service activities were the hardest hit. Revenues for catering services, education and real estate dropped by 32%, 26% and nearly 30%, respectively.

Exports were a bright spot, with revenues reaching more than US$9.85 billion, up 7.5% year-on-year. The city’s key exports included electronics (up 11%) and chemicals (up 8%).

While the city’s Index of Industrial Production in the first quarter of 2019 had increased by 6.24%, it dropped by 0.99% this year.

Liem said the city will step up support for businesses in the second quarter, enabling them to access the Government’s stimulus packages.

HCMC Party Committee Secretary Nguyen Thien Nhan noted that the city’s 0.42% growth in the first quarter was worrisome. However, the city will still prioritize fighting the coronavirus and people’s safety over economic growth.

“Once we effectively contain the pandemic, production, trade and services will gradually recover,” he remarked.

Hai Phong has largest number of wharves in Vietnam

The Ministry of Transport recently issued a list of wharves at seaports in Vietnam, with the northern city of Hai Phong being home to the biggest number of those facilities.

Of the 278 wharves nationwide, Hai Phong has 49, its nearby province of Quang Ninh 13, Ho Chi Minh City 43, and Vung Tau city in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau 43.

The ministry also requested the Vietnam Maritime Administration (VMA) to give instructions on the management and operation of wharves and make annual updates to the list of the facilities.

There are 44 seaports in the country at present. Vietnam is going to develop a seaport master plan for 2021-30 so as to enhance infrastructure connectivity, reduce logistics costs and promote marine economic development./.

Thừa Thiên-Huế prepares for tourism recovery

The central province of Thừa Thiên-Huế’s Department of Tourism is implementing a variety of measures to overcome the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic and prepare for the recovery of tourism in the province.

A report from the department has recently revealed it is collecting information from tourism enterprises to capture the pandemic’s impacts on tourism in the province.

The report said the measures are implemented to find solutions as well as propose policies to prepare for the recovery and development of the local tourism industry.

About 850 tourist service businesses in the field of travel, transportation and accommodation operating in the province have been targeted for the survey, according to the department.

Lê Xuân Phương, the director of DMZ Tourism Joint Stock Company, said that since the outbreak of COVID-19 and developments that forced society to follow social distancing measures, businesses had been significantly affected with a large percentage of revenue lost.

Phương said his company's turnover had suffered a decrease of more than 80 per cent and had to temporarily stop about 79 per cent of labour contracts.

However, the company took this time to upgrade their service facilities including those in the DMZ bar, Little Italy restaurant and DMZ hotel.

At the same time, the company conducted research on refreshing menus and product packages to attract tourists and rearrange parts of the hotel rooms to reduce costs.

Meanwhile, CEO of the Alba Spa and Alba Hotel, Châu Thị Hoàng Mai, said that although the accommodation and hotel had to be closed, the business still maintained its existing human resources and took this time to train employees with new skills to meet tourism service requirements when they return to work.

Statistics from the Tourism Association of Thừa Thiên- Huế Province revealed about 13,000 tourism workers are currently unemployed due to the pandemic, resulting in the “freezing” of hotels and restaurants.

Chairman of the association Đinh Mạnh Thắng said that tourism was a specific business sector so it suffered the earliest and heaviest damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic compared to other economic sectors.

“Time for the sector to recover its market in welcoming domestic visitors and foreign tourists is about three months and between six and nine months, respectively. Therefore, the Government needs to study and have separate support policies for tourism enterprises, including a reduction in value added tax, corporate income tax, land rent and providing preferential loans for them to recover," said the official.

Initial results of the survey conducted by the provincial Department of Tourism showed that most of the tourism service units in the area expected local authorities to consider gradually relaxing the regulations on business closure according to local ability of epidemic control. This would give businesses some opportunities to maintain their operations and retain their highly skilled workers.

At the same time, many businesses also expected the Việt Nam Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and the People's Committee of Thừa Thiên Huế Province to plan to restore tourism development after the coronavirus pandemic and pay more attention to supporting tourism businesses in the implementation of policies on stimulus packages, refreshing the content of promotion programmes for national and local destinations.

They appealed for more many forms of supporting businesses to participate in tourism promotion activities in domestic and foreign trade fairs and events.

Acting director of the department Lê Hữu Minh said based on the results of this survey, the department would propose relevant business support policies and main directions to the provincial People's Committee and the VNAT in order to undertake solutions for the recovery and development of tourism in the province immediately after the pandemic is controlled.

Ninh Thuận restructures agriculture to adapt to drought

The south-central province of Ninh Thuận is restructuring agriculture to adapt to droughts and secure stable incomes for farmers.

Lưu Xuân Vĩnh, chairman of the province People’s Committee, said there had been seven years of drought in the last 10 years.

During the 2019-20 winter-spring rice crop, farming had to be stopped on nearly 8,000ha because of lack of water, he said.

In many places, farmers have had to stop farming for a long time because of drought, he said.

To mitigate the effects of drought, the People’s Committee has ordered localities to identify clearly and zone areas for crops and animal husbandry.

Priority will be given to high-value crops that require less water, the People’s Committee said.

The country’s driest province has 21 dams with a combined capacity of 194 million cubic metres of water, but most lack water shortage in the dry season, leaving many rice-growing areas parched and unable to crop.

The province has prioritised high-value crops like asparagus, green jujube, grape, onion, and garlic, and will grow them instead of rice in low-yield areas using advanced farming techniques to Vietnamese good agricultural practices standards, according to the province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Đặng Kim Cương, director of the department, said to sustainably develop agriculture, the province has invested in irrigation infrastructure, boosted the use of advanced techniques and sought to attract investors.

Ninh Thuận is the country’s largest producer of grape, green jujube, garlic, sheep, and goat. Around 70 per cent of the province’s population earns a living from agriculture.

The province plans to develop 12 hi-tech vegetable growing areas on a total of 1,640ha, four hi-tech grape and jujube growing areas on 700ha, two hi-tech cow breeding areas on 150ha and two hi-tech goat and sheep breeding areas on 250ha by the end of this year, and raise 6,000 cows and 17,000 goats and sheep in the latter, according to the department.

The province will develop three hi-tech aquaculture areas.

In the last three years, Ninh Thuận has spent more than VNĐ2.3 trillion (US$98 million) to upgrade 63 irrigation works, increasing the total irrigated area to 53.7 per cent, up 4.1 percentage points from 2015.

Nguyễn Tin, director of the department’s Agriculture Extension Centre, said to adapt to drought the province uses 6,500ha of low-yield rice fields to grow grape, green jujube, grapefruit, asparagus, and aloe vera.

The income from these crops is two or three times higher while they require 50 per cent less water than rice, he said.

Besides switching to other crops on rice fields, Ninh Thuận also plans to switch to two rice crops a year from three to save water.

Phan Văn Thựu, deputy director of the department, said with just two rice crops a year, farmers could grow medium- and long-term varieties that offer high yields of 7 -7.5 tonnes per hectare.

“The time between two crops helps stop the spread of diseases and provides authorities time to repair and upgrade irrigation works.”

This year Ninh Thuận will try growing two rice crops a year on more than 1,000ha in Ninh Phước and Thuận Nam districts. 

Vietnam, India seek ways to boost trade ties in post-pandemic period

Trade between Vietnam and India would continue to grow strongly and sustainably after the COVID-19 pandemic is brought under control, Vietnamese Ambassador to India Pham Sanh Chau said on April 28.

The diplomat expressed his belief at a teleconference jointly held by India’s PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI), the Vietnamese Embassy in India and the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency under the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Chau recommended the Vietnamese and Indian governments make strive to adapt to the new situation and challenges.

Businesses also need to be creative in operation, and technocrats more flexible to promote trade and investment flows from both sides, the ambassador suggested.

He called for close cooperation between the two countries to reap more achievements in the economic and trade sectors as they have recorded in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Ajay Poddar, Chairman of the ASEAN, Oceania and East Asia Committee at the PHDCCI, with reciprocal sectors, Vietnam and India can cooperate effectively.

Currently, Indian major firms have invested in energy, mining, sugar production, and IT in Vietnam, he said, stressing that the bilateral trade ties and other economic relations are likely to grow stronger in the time ahead.

Poddar described Vietnam as India’s window towards Southeast Asia, saying many Indian companies want clues or facilities supporting their operation in the region and Vietnam in particular.

He highlighted potential for cooperation in the service sector that makes up nearly 65 percent of India’s accumulative added value, and suggested the two countries join hands in the production of low-cost goods, health care, AI, agricultural food processing and scientific research.

Participating businesses called for support from Vietnamese and Indian relevant agencies, along with an open market for farm produce, removed trade barriers and simplified administrative procedures./.

Cambodia’s garment, footwear exports drop by half in Q2 due to COVID-19

Cambodia’s exports of garments and footwear are forecasted to drop by 50-60 percent in the second quarter due to impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Spokesperson of the Cambodian Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training Heng Sour said the exports in the first quarter decreased by 80 percent year-on-year, when the COVID-19 broke out in the EU and the US, the two largest markets of Cambodia’s garment products, in February.

In the latter half of April, about ten more garment factories in Cambodia had to halt operation, affecting more than 6,000 workers. During the time they had to suspend working, the workers were paid 70 USD each month, in which 40 USD was from the Government and 30 USD from their employer.

According to Heng Sour, so far 130 garment factories in Cambodia have suspended operations due to a sharp decline in purchase orders caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, affecting 100,000 workers.

According to data from the Cambodian Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation, the Southeast Asian country is home to 1,099 factories operating in textiles, footwear and handbag industries./.