HCM City names student winners in contest using calculators

Students who won first prize in 12th grade math in the annual city-level exam contest using Casio handheld calculators, held by HCM City’s Department of Education and Training and Bình Tây Import-Export Joint Stock Company. 

First-place winners from HCM City in the annual math, physics, chemistry and biology contest using Casio handheld calculators will compete in the national-level exam later this year.

HCM City’s Department of Education and Training and the Bình Tây Import-Export (BITEX) Joint Stock Company held the contest at the Marie Curie High School in District 3 on January 20. 

The exam covered ninth grade math and 12th grade math, physics, biology and chemistry. 

Nguyễn Xuân Dũng, chaiman of the board of BITEX, said the exam gives chances for students to practise their calculator skills for graduation exams in secondary school, high school, college and university.

Candidates must have good performance in the first semester of the school year to be eligible to participate in the annual exam with calculators.

The 60-minute test is given in the form of multiple choice.

This year, the exam attracted 832 candidates, including 215 secondary students and 617 high school students nationwide.

The candidates’ exams in HCM City were marked and published on Sunday morning. Ninety students placed first, 180 placed second, and 270 placed third.

Students taking the test are allowed to use handheld calculators licensed by the Ministry of Education, including the Casio Fx-580 VN X, the newest product resulting from collaboration and research conducted by Bitex, the Ministry of Education and Training, Japan’s Casio computer company, experts and teachers.

The exam using the Casio calculator is held annually. The first examination in 1993 was organised by the city’s Department of Education and Training for math only, but in 2002 the exam was organised nationally by the Ministry of Education and Training. In 2008, the exam added physics, chemistry and biology. 

Tuyên Quang farmers bloom with Đà Lạt daisy

Farmer Phạm Ngọc Hải (right) first brought Đà Lạt daisies to the northern province of Tuyên Quang over ten years ago. The flowers have helped lift Hải’s family and other locals out of poverty. 

A visit to the Central Highlands city of Đà Lạt in 2007 marked a milestone for a couple from the northern province of Tuyên Quang after they brought the Đà Lạt daisy back to their home town.

They were the first farmers to grow the Đà Lạt daisy in the province and in the past few years have managed to earn about VNĐ300 million (US$13,000) thanks to the flower.

Phạm Ngọc Hải and his wife Trần Hồng Lý live in Thắng Quang Commune in the province’s Yên Sơn District. They are known as the ‘daisy-growing billionaires’.

When they started growing the daisy on the dry soil, local people were sceptical about the venture because the daisy prefers cool weather, while in Tuyên Quang it’s very sunny in summer and very cold in winter.

It was also unlikely that people in this poor area would buy the expensive flower.

Hải said that during a visit to a relative in Đà Lạt in 2007, he first learned about daisy farming. After one week of learning the techniques from Đà Lạt farmers, he bought 3,000 daisy seedlings to plant in his garden in Tuyên Quang.

Day by day, he carefully followed instructions, throwing his whole heart into nursing the seedlings.

Three months later, his family harvested the first crop, which fortunately coincided with Tết (Lunar New Year). This meant they could sell the flowers at a surprising VNĐ7,000 per tree.

As the result, they earned profit of nearly VNĐ12 million ($518).

“We were so surprised and happy because of the profit which was much more than the profits from other crops like corn or cassava,” Hải said.

Hải and Lý gradually expanded their flower farm – from 5,000 seedlings to 40,000 seedlings per year.

These days they plant about 60,000 daisy seedlings, varying in type. On average, they sell each plant for VNĐ5,000-7,000, earning up to VNĐ300 million in profit per year.

According to Hải, it’s easy to take care of Đà Lạt daisies. The flower is resistant to diseases so it requires little fertiliser. Low production cost, stable prices and little land requirements are other advantages of farming daisies.

Hải said that one sào (equal to 360sq.m) of daisy could generate as much income as 2ha of cassava or corn.

Hải’s daisies are not only sold in Tuyên Quang but also neighbouring provinces of Hà Giang and Yên Bái.

Hải’s family has been prospering thanks to the flower. From a poor family struggling to make ends meet, Hải now can build a new house, have money to invest in 3ha of acacia, grow more than 1,000 grapefruit, orange and tangerine trees plus dig 0.5ha of fishing pond.

Phạm Văn Ngọc, a farmer in Thắng Quân Commune, said that he was one of the local farmers with whom Hải shared his daisy technique.

Ngọc said that last year, his family started growing 40,000 daisy seedlings instead of corn.

Last month, Ngọc’s family harvested 20,000 daisy trees, selling them for VNĐ100 million and gaining profit of VNĐ70 million, Ngọc said, adding that with favourable conditions, they would harvest another 20,000 trees for Tết.

Nguyễn Đức Quyến, vice chairman of Thắng Quân Commune People’s Committee, said that daisy farming generated high profits, thus helped many local families get out of poverty including Hải’s.

“It’s a key crop for local development when the commune is implementing agricultural restructuring for higher efficiency and income,” Quyến said.

Núi Chúa National Park on the ball

Inspecting the quality of seed balls used for regenerating the forest in the Núi Chúa National Park in Ninh Thuận Province. 

The Núi Chúa National Park in the south-central province of Ninh Thuận uses seed balls to regenerate the forest in what is one of the country’s driest places.

The method involves using a mixture of clay and compost with seeds inside.

Located in Ninh Hải and Thuận Bắc districts, the park has a dry eco-system since the rains normally begin in September or October and end in December.

It only has a few small springs that virtually dry up in the dry season.

Trần Văn Tiếp, deputy director of the park management, said because of the harsh weather, regeneration of the forest is not easy.

The park’s mountainous terrain also causes difficulties in planting vegetation, he said.

Thus, before the rainy season,  seed balls are thrown into areas identified for planting trees and the seeds inside germinate when there is rain. The seeds inside are protected from birds, ants and pests.

When the seeds germinate, the compost in the balls fertilise the seedlings.

The seed ball method requires low cost because it uses clay from the park, compost from animal waste and seeds collected from various trees in the forest, according to the management board.

More than 1,500 balls were made for the park’s officials, rangers, forest growers, and tourists to throw in the forest last year.

Officials and rangers often carry 10-20 balls and throw them into the forest when they patrol. Forest growers always carry two to five balls.

When visiting the park, tourists are given five to 10 for dropping in areas shown by their tour guide.

Tiếp said the areas where the balls had been dropped have seen a lot of young trees grow.

This year, the park staff would collect seeds from the park’s indigenous trees to make the balls, he said.

The park would study various trees that are resistant to drought and have high economic value to grow in the forest, its management board said.

The park spreads over an area of nearly 29,900ha, including about 22,500ha of land and approximate 7,400ha of water. It has 1,054 plant and 345 animal species.

There are various eco-tourism services inside, including marine and forest tourism and research and educational tourism. 

HCM City decentralises power to departments, local administrations

A corner of Ho Chi Minh City (Source: sggp.org.vn)

The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee has decided to devolve decision making authority to departments and local authorities in certain areas.

It has identified 85 areas, including contentious ones like environment protection, construction of transport infrastructure and land management.

For instance, district authorities can hereafter appropriate land under certain circumstances, sell State-owned housing and management of waste collection and treatment.

“We hope to achieve a breakthrough in administrative reform by giving more powers to lower level officials,” Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong said.

“This is to make Decision No 54 of the National Assembly creating a special mechanism for HCM City a reality,” he added.

Tran Xuan Dien, Chairman of the District 10 People’s Committee, said: “When we have more power, procedures will become faster and it will benefit the public and businesses because we do not need to seek permissions from the city’s authorities.”

But more power also means more works and many districts and departments are worried about the adequacy of human resources.

Dien added: “The city does not provide more staff to us while works related to land management and construction require skilled and well-educated staff. We lack such people.”

There are also worries about abuse of power if districts and departments are allowed to decide sensitive issues.

“Leaders of districts and departments must take responsibility for what they do before the city’s People’s Committee,” said Director of the Department of Internal Affairs Truong Van Lam.

“The municipal People’s Committee gives more power but also more guidance, will supervise what districts and departments do.

“We have already prepared human resources, equipment and [others] and informed the public and businesses.”

Diep Van Son, an administrative reform specialist, backed the project saying: “If the city devolves power, districts and departments can make the best decisions because they are close to residents and businesses.”

“But close oversight is imperative to avoid abuse of power. If there is a lack of efficiency in any area, the devolution must be reconsidered.”

An Giang aims to serve 9.2 million visitors in 2019

Tra Su melaleuca forest in An Giang province 

The Mekong Delta province of An Giang has set to welcome 9.2 million foreign and domestic tourists in 2019, according Vice Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Pham The Trieu.

The local tourism sector aims to earn 5.5 trillion VND (nearly 236.6 million USD) from tourism in the year, up 14.58 percent against the same period last year. 

Trieu said the locality will focus on attracting investment to tourism infrastructure development in its key sites, especially the Sam Mountain national tourist site. 

Attention will be paid to promoting tourism development connection between An Giang and localities in the west of the Mekong Delta such as Can Tho, Ca Mau, Kien Giang, Bac Lieu, Hau Giang and Soc Trang. 

Tourism promotion programmes will be organised to promote An Giang’s potential and strengths to international markets, including Cambodia, Thailand, the Republic of Korea, the US, Japan, France and Germany, towards drawing more foreigners to the locality. 

The locality is calling for enterprises, especially travel firms, to invest in cultural and ecological tourism models, resorts and tourism projects for entertainment, contributing to creating new tourism products, Trieu noted. 

In the coming time, An Giang will pay heed to effectively tapping resources to develop tourism in connection with protecting the environment, towards promoting sustainable tourism development, while enhancing training of human resources serving tourism, Trieu said.

It is also introducing policies to support tourism development to encourage big firms to invest in the field, he added.

According to statistics from the department, An Giang welcomed 8.5 million visitors in 2018, an increase of 16.44 percent compared to the previous year. Of the number, foreign arrivals were 100,000, 33.3 percent higher than 2017. Revenue from tourism activities hit 4.8 trillion VND (over 206.4 million USD), up 29.73 percent year-on-year.

PM: Ngoc Linh ginseng should leave hallmark in Vietnam's pharmaceuticals industry

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc greets artisans at the opening ceremony of the exhibition on January 20 

Ngoc Linh ginseng from the Central Highlands should leave a new historical hallmark in Vietnam’s pharmaceuticals industry and also become a permanent way for locals to earn their living, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said on January 20.

The Government leader made the statement while attending the opening ceremony to start an exhibition on Kon Tum province’s culture, which will last until the end of this year. He was accompanied by many other high-ranking officials of the Government and local administration.

He highlighted that Kon Tum is blessed with many natural resources, including Ngoc Linh ginseng. After more than 30 years of research, many Vietnamese and foreign scientists have confirmed that it is the rarest and best root in the world now, indigenous in Kon Tum and Quang Nam provinces.

PM Phuc lauded the holding of the exhibition as a good chance to popularize Ngoc Linh ginseng and asked relevant authorities to join hands in turning the cultivation of the valuable root into a way for locals to earn their living.

Concrete strategies should be worked out so that Ngoc Linh ginseng and its products can reach foreign markets, the leader stressed.

Visitors to the exhibition can have a chance to have an insight on the environment and the biodiversity of the region which is home to Ngoc Linh ginseng, as well as the discovery, study and cultivation of the pharmaceutical root.

Marble Mountains receives national special relic certificate

Kim Son Mountain, the largest of the Marble Mountains, hosts Quan The Am (Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva) Festival.

The Ngu Hanh Son (Marble Mountains) landscape in the central coastal city of Da Nang received the national special relic certificate at a ceremony held by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and competent authorities in the city on January 20.

At the event, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Huynh Duc Tho said that the city has worked to outline a master plan on preserving and promoting sustainable values of the relic site in tandem with local socio-economic development. 

In addition, the city will devise a plan on managing and protecting the tangible and intangible cultural heritages which have close connection with the Marble Mountains while paying due attention to human resources training and developing new tourism products to lure more visitors to the site.

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Trinh Thi Thuy suggested the city arrange areas for exhibiting stone sculptures made by artisans of Non Nuoc village.

As part of the efforts to create increasing added value of the tourism sector, Da Nang should closely join hands with its neighbouring cities and provinces, she stressed.

The mountains have been one of the most visited sites in Da Nang and the city’s second National Special Relic after the Dien Hai Citadel was recognised last year.

The site – which features five mountains by a pristine beach in Ngu Hanh Son district – was first recognised as a national historical and cultural relic in 1990.

The landscape, which covers 2.2sq.km, was given the name Ngu Hanh Son, or Non Nuoc, by King Minh Mang under the Nguyen Dynasty in 1837.

According to archaeologists, the complex of marble mountains was formerly islands. The beach they sit on ranges from Son Tra peninsula to Non Nuoc beach.

Rainwater and weather gradually turned the five mountains into different shades of white, pink, red, blue and brown, and formed caves with beautiful stalactites.

Over time, pagodas were built in the caves and a stone sculpture village emerged.

Thuy Son Mountain stands 160 metres tall on an area of 15 hectares. Its caves and stalactite formations are the most visited feature of the complex.

Kim Son Mountain, the largest of the Marble Mountains, hosts the annual Quan The Am (Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva) Festival – one of the 15 largest events in Vietnam – at the Da and Quan The Am pagodas on the 19th day of lunar February. The festival draws around 10,000 residents and tourists each year.

The 400-year-old Non Nuoc stone sculpture village at the foot of the Marble Mountains was also recognised as a national intangible heritage.

The complex hosted 1.5 million tourists in 2018.

According to the cultural heritage department under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, a total of 106 relics nationwide have received National Special Relic status.

Da Nang has included 50 historical sites and 18 national historical monuments in its restoration project for 2016-2020.

Lunar New Year get-together for Vietnamese in Australia

Vietnamese Ambassador Ngo Huong Nam (L) and Chairman of the Vietnamese Business Association of Australia Tran Ba Phuc toast the Lunar New Year at the event on January 19 

The Vietnamese Embassy in Australia on January 19 held a get-together for the Vietnamese community in the country on the occasion of the lunar New Year, the Tet.

Representatives of the community, offices and students in Australia attended the ceremony to mark the most important annual festival for the Vietnamese.

Briefing them on the socio-economic achievements recorded by Vietnam in 2018, Ambassador Ngo Huong Nam said the year saw special successes in the bilateral relations. He expressed his belief that on the basis of the newly-established strategic partnership, bilateral relations will strongly develop in various fields in 2019, especially now that the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement on Trans-Pacific Partnership has taken effect.

The Vietnamese community in Australia is an important factor that helps cement the two nations and a joint treasure, the diplomat affirmed, stressing that it is Vietnam’s policy to take the Vietnamese community in foreign country an inseparable part of the nation.

Nam further said his office always places the community work among the top priorities, and pledged to try to the best in the protection of the legal rights of the Vietnamese there.

Participants together enjoyed traditional food and art performances for the special occasion.

2019 National Volunteer Year launched

A delegation from the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union visit border posts along the borderline of An Giang province. (Photo: tienphong.vn)

Launching the 2019 National Volunteer Year, the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union on January 18 and 19 sent a delegation to border posts located along the borderline in the southwestern province of An Giang.

The dispatch was made as the country just marked the 40th anniversary of the victory of the war for the defence of the southwestern border and is welcoming the imminent traditional lunar New Year which will fall in early next month.

Speaking while visiting the Nhon Nhung border post in Tinh Bien district on January 19, Permanent Secretary of the committee Nguyen An Tuan asked the youth organisations to bring into full play the vanguard and volunteer role. Voluntary activities must be held regularly and manifest the creativeness of the youth, he said, asking for effective and suitable investment to the activities.

Earlier, the delegation visited the Vinh Nguon border post on January 18.

During the visits, youth representatives conducted free health checks and treatments to locals, planted trees, popularized traffic safety, and presented gifts to the poor of ethnic minority groups and veterans and invalids of the war.

4,000 free coach tickets handed to poor workers in HCM City

The event presenting free coach tickets and gifts to workers in HCM City on January 19 

The Federation of Labour of Ho Chi Minh City on January 19 handed free coach tickets and gifts to over 4,000 poor workers in industrial and export-processing zones in the city on the occasion of the coming traditional lunar New Year.

Recipients include those workers who could not afford the fares to go back to their home towns for the Tet, the most important festival for Vietnamese who often treasure family reunion on the approach of Spring, which will come in early next month.

Speaking at the hand-over ceremony, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Huynh Cach Mang spoke highly of the efforts by the trade unions as well as attention by enterprises to workers. The official said the act affirms the deep humanity and high sense of social responsibility of investors, and expressed his hope that the work will be multiplied and diversified in the time to come.

According to Vice Chairman of the federation Kieu Ngoc Vu, the organization has mobilized assistance to the provision of 35,000 free coach tickets for poor workers in the city this year. Besides the tickets, trade unions in the city also plan to arrange coaches to bring over 13,200 workers back to their home towns for the occasion.

Launched for the first time in Ho Chi Minh City in 2009, the programme has so far provided nearly 270,000 free tickets to poor workers with a total of nearly 180 billion VND (over 7.7 million USD).

Party official presents gifts to policy beneficiaries in Tuyen Quang

Head of the Party Central Committee’s Economic Commission Nguyen Van Binh visits heroic Vietnamese mother Cao Thi Co 

Head of the Party Central Committee’s Economic Commission Nguyen Van Binh visited and presented gifts to policy beneficiaries in Tuyen Quang city, the northern mountainous province of Tuyen Quang on January 20.

Among those visited were heroic Vietnamese mother Cao Thi Co and Nguyen Van Thong, a war invalid, both in Tan Quang ward. 

On behalf of the Party and State, Binh expressed his gratitude towards the families under state welfare policies for their contributions to the national independence.

He affirmed that the Party and State always pay due attention to taking care of the policy beneficiaries and create the best conditions for their children in learning and working, thus contributing to building a more prosperous country.

Also, he expressed his hope that the families will continue their engagement in the national construction cause.

Fatherland Front leader pays pre-Tet visit to An Giang province

President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Tran Thanh Man (L) presents gifts to state welfare beneficiaries, low-income families and Agent Orange victims in Thoai Son district, An Giang province, on January 20

President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Tran Thanh Man offered the best wishes to state welfare beneficiaries, low-income families and Agent Orange victims in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang on January 20 during a visit ahead of the traditional Lunar New Year (Tet) festival.

Visiting the families of a martyr and a veteran in the southwestern border defence war in Nui Sap town of Thoai Son district, Man, who is also a member of the Party Central Committee, said his delegation’s pre-Tet trip to An Giang this year is also meant to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the fight’s victory.

In this war, An Giang suffered from heavy losses, he noted, adding that almost all local districts sent soldiers to safeguard Vietnam’s southwestern border and support Cambodia in defeating the Pol Pot genocidal regime. That not only helped firmly protect the national border but also enhance the lofty friendship with Cambodia.

The same day, Man also sent Tet greetings and presented 200 gift packs to state welfare beneficiaries, low-income families and Agent Orange victims in Thoai Son district.

He expressed his delight that with its agricultural production strength, Thoai Son has recorded continuous improvements in local living standards and poverty reduction.

The official also asked local authorities to call on the private sector to join hands in ensuring a happy Tet that falls in early February for all people.

Vĩnh Long to amend development master plan

The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Vĩnh Long is planning to tweak its socio-economic master plan. 

The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Vĩnh Long is planning to make changes to its socio-economic master plan to reflect changes on the ground.

Trương Đặng Vĩnh Phúc, director of the province Department of Planning and Investment, told a conference on Friday that the changes would focus on industry, industrial complex infrastructure, rural agriculture, culture-tourism, transport infrastructure, urban housing development, and trade services.

The province’s main sectors are agriculture, food processing, energy, manufacture and repair of agricultural machinery and vehicles, wood processing, garment and textiles, and footwear.

Lê Quang Trung, vice chairman of the province People’s Committee, said this year Vĩnh Long plans to improve its growth models by enhancing labour productivity and competitiveness. 

It plans to enhance co-operation with other localities in the delta to develop its services and tourism sectors, he said. 

It would continue to restructure agriculture by building new rural areas and focus on building value chains for and promoting its major agricultural products.

Last year, the province’s agricultural output had been worth VNĐ10.59 trillion, according to the People’s Committee. 

An Giang targets organic agriculture development

Speakers at the first Mekong Delta Forum on Developing Partnerships Between Australia and Việt Nam for an Organic Agriculture Movement, held yesterday in An Giang Province. 

The Mekong Delta province of An Giang has targeted shifting from traditional agricultural production, which is heavily dependent on fertilisers and chemicals, to more sustainable production and organic standards, said a provincial official. 

Nguyễn Sĩ Lâm, director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the province was focusing on environmental protection, emission reductions and climate change adaptation, and calling for more local and foreign investment in green agricultural production.

The province since 2013 has had a Jasmine rice production area under GlobalGAP standards in Châu Phú District and a bio-safe rice production area in An Phú District on 400-600 ha per year, with profits increasing for farmers, he said.

In addition, it has piloted an organic rice-shrimp model on 1ha in An Phú District, and has grown high-quality organic rice in Tân Châu Town, Lâm added.

All of these results have created an important foundation for the area to gradually shift from traditional production to safer and organic standards.

Despite this progress, the director of An Giang Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said the agricultural sector faced a number of challenges. 

The rice yield is very high, but farmers’ incomes are still modest, and investment in agricultural production has not been effective, with excessive use of fertilisers and chemicals. 

In addition, the quality of agricultural products has not met the expectations of consumers, who increasingly demand food safety and clean agricultural products. Imported agricultural products are also putting pressure on local products. 

The province wants, from now to 2025, to develop its strongest products, including 300ha of rice; mangoes with VietGap standards covering 500ha, of which 100ha of mango is expected to be organic; and VietGap-certified vegetables on 6,000ha, of which 1,000ha will receive organic certification.

According to Alan Broughton, vice president of the Australian Organic Agriculture Association, Australian agriculture has much to share with An Giang province through research and training to ensure safety and efficiency in the supply chain.

The core of organic agriculture is to improve the health of farmers and consumers of agricultural products, restore organic soil, and reduce production costs.

The most important step is to change farming practices through practical experiences and short-term training courses with “hands-on experience” for farmers. This will help farmers see the benefits of organic agriculture.

The Australian Association will continue to support An Giang Province to develop organic agriculture through technology transfer to bring practical benefits to farmers, especially for ethnic women and families.

Trần Anh Thư, vice chairman of An Giang People’s Committee, said he hoped that Australia would continue to support the province in organic agriculture development, through short-term training courses for agriculture officials, scientists and farmers.

The first Mekong Delta Forum on Developing Partnerships Between Australia and Việt Nam for Organic Agriculture Movement is one of four components of a project to promote partnership between Australia and Việt Nam.

The project has four work packages.

The first package is to build capacity for three Australian Awards Scholarship (AAS) Alumni from An Giang University (AGU) in agriculture development in Australia, provided by Organic Agriculture Association (OAA), National Association of Sustainable Agriculture Australia (NASAA), Canberra Organic Grower Society (COGS), Fenner School of Environment & Society, and the Australian National University.

In the second package, the AAS alumni team from AGU, including Dr Nguyễn Văn Kiên, Nguyễn Văn Thái, and Lê Ngọc Hiệp, will develop an organic agriculture research centre called the “Mekong Organics Hub” to promote linkages between agriculture, nutrition and public health in the Mekong Delta Region. 

For the third package, the Hub will partner with the An Giang Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and An Giang Province People’s Committee to organise the first Mekong Delta Forum on Developing Partnerships Between Australia and Việt Nam for an Organic Agriculture Movement. 

The forum aims to share the experiences of organic agriculture research and development with organic growers, organic agriculture associations, farm extension staffs, local governments, business sectors, and NGOs. It will also develop a partnership for organic industry development in the two countries. 

The fourth package is the piloting of a home-based organic vegetable farm with female Khmer farmers in An Giang province to promote nutrition and population health outcomes for the communities.

The forum in the province was co-funded by Aus4Skills Small Grants for AAV alumni and An Giang People’s Committee’s Department of Agriculture & Rural Development and An Giang University. It aimed to develop partnerships between Australia and Việt Nam for Organic Agriculture Movement. 

Nearly 200 delegates, including scientists and organic agricultural experts, participated in the forum organised by An Giang Province’s People’s Committee.