Heavy rains leave trails of destruction in northern localities

Teeming rain, deluge together with whirlwinds claimed two lives and caused substantial property damage in northern provinces, according to a report from the office of the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control.

In Son La province, heavy rain on May 23-24 seriously damaged 46 houses, 184.4 hectares of rice, three hectares of coffee, 32.4 hectares of fishing ponds, two schools, 400 metres of embankments and more than three kilometres of rural roads.

A whirlwind that occurred on May 25 in Bach Thuan commune, Vu Thu district, Thai Binh province blew off the roofs of five houses while uprooting 145 trees and ornamental plants.

As of May 27, torrential rainfall was recorded in Hanoi city and Phu Tho, Tuyen Quang, Cao Bang and Thai Nguyen provinces. A deluge in Dai Tu district, Thai Nguyen province killed a 26-year-old woman while a 47 year-old farmer who was working in the field died after being struck by lightening.

Hundreds of houses were inundated and many others were swallowed due to landslide. More than 9,000 hectares of rice and other crops as well as hundreds of hectares of aquaculture cultivation were destroyed.

Provincial Search, Rescue and Flood Prevention Steering Committees have carried out measures to help local people overcome consequences and evaluate the losses.

Meanwhile, rainfall has lessened the prolonged drought and saltwater intrusion situation in the Central Highlands, South Central and Mekong Delta regions. Localities continue to hoard up water for crop production.

According to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, heavy rain and thunderstorms are forecast from Binh Thuan province to Ca Mau as a tropical low pressure area and strong southwestern monsoon converge.-

Safe food market to open twice per month

The Vietnam Trade Promotion Centre for Agriculture (VTPCA) will open a safe food market at No.489 Hoang Quoc Viet st., in Cau Giay district, Hanoi twice every month.

The safe food market is scheduled from Friday to Sunday on the second and the last weeks of the month. The first market takes place on May 27-29.

It features about 100 booths selling safe agricultural products, such as seafood, fruit, vegetables, coffee and milk, with clear origin. They are produced by verified producers with quality control certificates or those applying VietGAP standards.

According to VTPCA Director Dao Van Ho, the centre will also coordinate with the National Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Assurance Department to take samples of all products sold at the market for safety testing.

The move aims to provide visitors with knowledge on residues of pesticides, preservatives and other banned substances in foods.

The market is held following the success of the programme “Dia chi xanh – Nong san sach” (Green outlets – Safe farm produce) by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Police suspect criminal activity in Phú Yên’s deforestation

Police in south central Phú Yên Province have found signs of criminal activity leading to deforestation across nearly 110ha of land in Phú Mỡ Commune, Đồng Xuân District.

The case is under investigation and the guilty will be prosecuted, police said yesterday.

Initial investigations revealed that between April 25 and May 5, local residents in the communes of Phú Mỡ and Xuân Quang 1 were hired to chop down trees on almost 110ha of forest land. On average, one can acquire more than 18cu.m. of timber from trees on 1ha of land.

Police identified four local residents as having hired others to cut down the trees: La O Kinh, La O Cừ, La Lan Thập and Phạm Xuân Trình.

Trình, a relative of a former party chief secretary of Đồng Xuân District, had paid the three others to acquire land-use rights certificates. Then, he hired people to chop down all the trees on the land. However, according to the province’s Agriculture and Rural Development Department, the land-use certificates were not granted to the three residents legally.

Head of the district’s People’s Procuracy Nguyễn Kim Hoạt said the illegal destruction of the forest would be addressed in accordance with Article 189 of the Criminal Code.

Party members were alleged to be involved in the case, so the provincial Party Committee also required other relevant agencies to join the investigation.

HCMC expands affordable drugs plan

Under HCM City’s price stabilisation programme, 563 locally produced drugs in 21 categories will be sold at 5-10 per cent lower than market prices until next March, according to the city Department of Health.

Speaking at a meeting in HCM City yesterday to review the programme’s outcomes in 2015 and discuss plans for this year, Phạm Khánh Phong Lan, the department director, said more and more leading pharmaceutical firms have been signing up for the programme since its launch in 2011, ensuring a steady supply of essential medicines and helping prevent price surges.

Fourteen firms meeting GMP-WHO standards are taking part this year, including Savipharm and Imexpharm for the first time, against just four in 2011, she said.

Đỗ Văn Dũng, head of the department’s pharmaceutical management division, said the number of medicines sold at stabilised prices also increased to 551 last year from 45 in the inaugural year.

The number of drugstores taking part increased from 400 in 2011 to 3,852 last year, or more than 70 per cent of the city’s shops, he said.

The number is expected to reach 4,000 this year, he added.

Nguyễn Quốc Định, deputy director general of Imexpharm, which has registered to sell 20 medicines, said his company is committed to supplying quality drugs at stable prices.

Dũng said the programme is unique to the city.

The 21 drug categories are mostly related to the treatment of normal and chronic problems like pain, fever, allergies, diarrhoea, stomach ache, cough, diabetes, cardiovascular conditions, infectious diseases (anbiotics), worms and rheumatism besides vitamins, mineral supplements and others.

Passenger station needs VND3,4 trillion

The Ministry of Transport May 18 said that the Cam Ranh International Terminal Joint Stock Company (CRTC) submitted a document for the feasibility project of Cam Ranh international passenger station worth VND3,395 billion to serve over 2.5 million in 2020 and over 4 million in 2025.

CRTC proposed for new station because the airport’s current passenger station is overloaded. The current station was designed to receive 1.5 million passenger  a year yet the station always welcome an increased number of passenger; for instance in 2015 it received over 2.7  million passengers.

The new passenger station will be designed in the area of 52,000 square meter with 80 booths to receive passengers, 10 gates into the airport, six luggage carousels and car parking lots. If it is approved, the project will start in September, 2016 and is expected to operate in December, 2017.

VN sea & islands week takes place from June 6 to 8

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Evironment organized the world environment day (June 5), the Vietnam's sea & inslands week (from June 6 to 8) and the world ocean day (June 8) in Hanoi yesterday.

In Vietnam, the world environment day will be organized in Lao Cai province & Nam Dinh with activities such as launching action month for environment; releasing the wild animals into the forest and planting trees at Hoang Lien national garden...

Besides, the national forum for environment & development will review action month for environment; bike journey for green Vietnam.

Deputy minister of natural resources & environment Nguyen Linh Ngoc said the launching ceremony that Vietnamese & international scientists have been identifying the causes of the death of fish in the central provinces of Vietnam. The ministry will soon announce test results to public.

Rice prices decline because of continuous rains

Farmers in the Mekong Delta provinces have entered harvest season, however, the rice prices have dropped due to continuous rains.

The price of fresh paddy is currently at VND4,500 per kilogram; fresh long-grain paddy at VND4,700-4,800 per kilogram, and sticky rice at VND5,400 per kilogram, an average drop of VND200-300 per kilogram compared to that by mid-May. Harvesting has been facing difficulties as a large area of paddy in Dong Thap, Can Tho, and An Giang provinces was fallen due to heavy rains.

Although rice prices are slightly declining, this summer-autumn crop most farmers in Dong Thap, Can Tho, An Giang, and Vinh Long provinces where paddy fields were not affected by saltwater intrusion and drought, have seen a bumper crop with productivity of 900-1,000 kilogram per 1,000 square meters and an average profit of about VND20 million per hectare.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, farmers in the Mekong Delta provinces have grown more than 1.65 million hectares of paddy in the summer-autumn crop this year. Production is estimated at around 9.2 million tons, up 134,000 tons compared to last summer-autumn crop.

Artists praised for contributing to overseas Vietnamese affairs

Twenty six artists were awarded with Certificates of Merits of the Chairman of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their outstanding service overseas and on islands.

The certificate was also granted to the Military’s Song, Dance and Music Theatre for its contribution to overseas Vietnamese affairs.

Addressing the awarding ceremony on May 27 in Hanoi, Vice Chairman of the Committee Dang The Hung called on more artists to continue their contribution to forging solidarity among the Vietnamese expats.

According to Hung, there are 4.5 million Vietnamese people living across 108 countries and territories around the world.

Lieutenant Duong Thi Tu from the Military’s Theatre expressed her honour to perform on the Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago, the DK 1 Platform and in Thailand during traditional New Year (Tet) holiday.

“I always get moved with the love overseas Vietnamese and the soldiers on the Truong Sa archipelago have for the homeland,” Tu said.

People – root of mass mobilisation work: Party chief

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has underscored the need to trust in and take care of people in order to raise the efficiency of mass mobilisation, or civic duty work.

He delivered the message while addressing a conference of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Mass Mobilisation in Hanoi on May 27 to launch an action programme on the implementation of the 12th Party Congress’s Resolution and directions and conclusions on mass mobilisation issued by the Politburo and the Party Secretariat.

This viewpoint on civic duty has been proven to be true through the country’s long history, from feudal dynasties to the 30-year reform, as well as Marxism-Leninism, the Party chief noted.

Therefore, he said, it is a must for the Party to provide full care for people’s lives and interests, and respect their right to self-mastery while building a pure Party.

Although the Party and the State have exerted great efforts in improving people’s living standards, there still have been policies and actions that have failed to meet public aspirations, the Party leader admitted.

It is necessary to take specific measures to ensure people’s living standards, firstly ensuring their food, clothes, health care and education, he said, adding that social equality and security are also crucial.

He noted that respecting and upholding people’s right to self-mastery is the Party’s strategic guideline, and that public creativeness has been carried forward during the Party leadership.

The leader urged all-level Party Committees and State agencies to encourage people’s organisations to get involved in socio-economic management, and raise their staff’s awareness of serving the public.

Hailing contributions of the civic work to strengthening the national great unity bloc as well as socio-economic development, national security and defence and foreign affairs, the Party General Secretary pointed out that shortcomings and limitations still remain.

He explained that the actualisation of relevant resolutions, directions and conclusions has proven effective, but the work has yet to receive adequate attention of all-level Party Committees and authorities.

Addressing the event, Truong Thi Mai, head of the Mass Mobilisation Commission, said her commission has integrated the work into the effectuation of the 12th Party Congress’ Resolution.

The commission has also worked as advisor in revamping the Party leadership over mass mobilisation in the context of socialist oriented market economy and international integration, especially in areas inhabited by ethnic minority groups and in religion-related issues, she said.

Healthcare festival benefits children in city

A healthcare festival will take place in two days May 28 and 29 in September 23rd Park in Ho Chi Minh City, benefitting kids.

The fourth healthcare festival for children held by the city’s Public Medicine Association in response to the International Children’s Day on June 1 aims to raise people’s knowledge of healthcare for children from which improve kids’ health condition.

The festival provides healthcare services from the Department of Food Safety and Hygiene, the Nutrition Center, the Preventive Medicine Center, the Health Communication and Education Center, several city’s hospitals and some medical organizations for kids.

The festival is expected to serve around 10,000 kids.

Partaking parents will be provided with general medical knowledge from preventing dangerous diseases to food safety to take care of their children. More specially, ill children would receive free treatment and medicine.

Attending the festival, kids can play games and enjoy musical performance.

Evacuated residents must have shelters

Dinh La Thang, Secretary of the local Party Committee and member of Vietnam's Politburo, and leaders of related agencies yesterday liaised with People’s Committee in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 8 over evacuation of residents living along canals in the district.

The Party Secretary asked related agencies and the district administration to find out shelters for households who were evacuated over slums in the city for the city’s beauty. The authority will assign enterprises to build condo and the city will give empty land to enterprises to carry out the project. “ We will not loan ODA if both government and enterprises can implement this project, said Mr. Thang.

Concerning to flooding in the district, Mr. Thang questioned director of the Anti-Flooding Program Operation Center, Nguyen Ngoc Cong and asked Mr. Cong to solve the problem.

As per the district People’s Committee, currently, the district has over 9,500 houses in the canals mainly in Tau Hu, Lo Gom, Doi. Approximately, 1,100 houses lying totally in the canals and just some of them are along the canals. Most of them are slumps which were built illegally; accordingly, they have no electricity and water clock. They have been living in poor hygienic condition for many years.

To sum up the meeting, Mr. Thang asked related agency leaders and the district administrators to pay attention to lives of inhabitants along canals whose children dropped school early to earn money. Government must find out new shelters for them, not let people stay in such polluted places, said Mr. Thang.

After visiting the city’s water improvement project  in the Tau Hu-Ben Nghe canal and Doi, Te canals, Mr. Thang came to some households along the canals to present gifts.

Global start-up contest for students comes to VN

A global business start-up contest is being organised for the first time in Việt Nam to offer high school and university students in the country a chance to win money and support for their business ideas.

In HATCH! Battle Junior, participants will first go through a training workshop before making a 90-second video to pitch their business idea to judges at the 2016 HATCH! Fair to be held on October 7 and 8 in HCM City.

Battle Junior, an international start-up contest for students organised by the US-based University of Dayton in Ohio, comes to Việt Nam for the first time.

HATCH! is a resource for entrepreneurship in Việt Nam operating since 2012 that supports more than 100 companies and more than 10,000 entrepreneurs.

The team that wins the contest -- organised jointly by the two organisations -- will get US$5,000 and advance to the second round to be held at the University of Dayton China Institute in Suzhou, China.

The team will get free flights and a prize package along with mentoring through the HATCH! network of entrepreneurs and start-up coaches.

If a team continues to win, it will compete in the final round at the University of Dayton in Ohio in the US in April, 2017.

Island districts lack knowledgable workers

Local authorities of islands in central provinces- such as Quảng Nam, Quảng Ngãi and Bình Định - are facing shortages of knowledgable officials and difficulties in calling for officials to work at local authorised agencies.

Nguyễn Văn An, chairman of Tân Hiệp Ward’s People’s Committee on Cù Lao Chàm island of Quảng Nam Province, said “We have to send officials to study in State-funded programmes, after recruiting them,” he said.

The wide gap in salary between the leader and deputy leader is another big challenge.

Nguyễn Văn Chương, president of Fishermen Association in Nhơn Châu Commune of Bình Định Province, said he receives a monthly wage of VNĐ5.5 million (US$245), while the deputy president gets only VNĐ1.05 million ($47).

Because of this, many deputy leader positions of local authorised agencies are left empty, as the low wage does not attract anyone.

Nguyễn Văn Lợi, a resident of Cù Lao Chàm island, refused the task of being deputy head of the Tân Hiệp Commune police station.

He said the main job of residents there is to go offshore for fishing, which requires many work days, so he could not be an official and a fisherman at the same time.

The effort to attract workers who are island residents has also failed, so far.

There are no high schools on Cù Lao Xanh island of Bình Định Province. High school students have to move to the mainland to study. And most of them stay on the mainland for higher education and jobs.

The labour force also plays an important role in developing tourism on the islands. On Lý Sơn island, a well-known tourism spot in Quảng Ngãi Province, there are only ten private hotels run by residents.

Nguyễn Phúc Sinh, head of the education department of Lý Sơn Island District, said it was difficult to invest in hotels because they could not find anyone on the island with management skills.

Many wealthy families have also saved enough money to buy houses on the mainland and moved there permanently, leaving the island without workers.

In the last ten years, a large number of island families moved to the mainland. Some 56 households left Cù Lao Xanh island, while on Cù Lao Chàm island, there are only 71 families.

That prevents tourism in the region from flying high.

HCM City tour service by bus launched in HCMC

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport recently worked with Anh Viet Tourist Company to open ‘Hop on – Hop off’ city tour service by bus numbered 120 around the city.

This route operates 24/7 with 24 trips departing every 30 minutes. Each bus can carry a maximum of 29 passengers. All buses on this route meet Euro II emission standards.

Passengers can buy ticket online or on the buses with the fare of VND200,000 a person and travel around the city within 24 hours.

Each bus has a multilingual megaphone system introducing the most favorite tourist destinations of foreigners in the city and other points of arrivals. In addition, staff on board will introduce in English about the tourist destinations to foreigners.

The route will start from September 23 Park to travel across Pham Ngu Lao and De Tham streets, Ben Thanh Market, Saigon Skydeck, the People’s Committee headquarters, Nguyen Hue walking street, Saigon Opera House, Notre Dame Cathedral, Saigon Central Post Office, Independence Palace, History Museum, Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens, War Remnants Museum and vice versa.

Besides these locations, tourists can get off the buses to visit other landscapes, museums and amusement places in the city and pick up next trips on this route to continue their city tour with only one ticket valid in 24 hours.

Dyke against rising sea water level to be built in city’s coastal district

Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee yesterday asked the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to build embankment system along Ha Thanh River to protect residents in the coastal district Can Gio.

The embankment system aimed at preventing rising sea water level will be built in Long Hoa commune and Can Thanh town

Additionally, more trees must be planted in Thanh An island commune and across Can Gio district. The Department of Transport must liaise with related agencies to expand the district’s ferry system connecting Can Gio district with southern provinces of Long An and Ba Ria-Vung Tau as well as a ferry route  connecting  Thanh An island commune with other communes.

Moreover, fresh water reservoirs were placed in Thanh An commune for resident’s daily activities. In addition, the department must work out a plan to encroach Theu River to expand residential block in Thanh An island commune.

People’s Committee in Can Gio district was assigned to conceive a project to facilitate inhabitants’ living condition in island commune who will contribute to the society’s socioeconomic growth and protect the country’s sovereignty. Furthermore, the district administration must build shelter from storm.

WB funds water supply and environmental sanitation project in Vietnam

On May 26, the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved US$119 million in additional financing for an ongoing project to respond to key urban development challenges focusing on assuring water supply and wastewater needs of selected urban areas in Vietnam.

The additional financing for the Vietnam Urban Water Supply and Wastewater Project will mostly be used for a wastewater and drainage subproject for Binh Duong province. It will also cover cost overruns due to the appreciation of the US dollar, and provide technical support to the Ministry of Construction to prepare a new water supply investment in the Mekong Delta.

Up to 65,872 households with 450,382 people will be connected to clean water sources as a result of the financing, and up to 312,051 urban dwellers will benefit from improved sanitation.

“We are very pleased to see this additional financing approved by our Board of Directors. With this, achievements under the original project will be further consolidated and sustained, and more people in Binh Duong, in southern Vietnam, will enjoy better wastewater and drainage services.” said Achim Fock, the World Bank’s Acting Country Director for Vietnam.

The additional financing includes a credit of US$50.0 million from the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank Group’s concessional financing window for low-income countries, and a loan of US$69.0 million from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the World Bank Group’s lending arm for middle-income countries.

The original project, which was approved by the World Bank’s Board in May 2011, sponsored seven water supply and seven wastewater subprojects in 10 provinces, with an average population size of 100,000 in the urban centers.

Exhibition on Hoang Sa, Truong Sa opened in Binh Phuoc

Nearly 100 maps, documents and publications on Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spartly) archipelagos are on display at Dong Xoai town in the southern province of Binh Phuoc.

exhibition on hoang sa, truong sa opened in binh phuoc hinh 0

The exhibition, entitled “Vietnam’s Hoang Sa and Truong Sa: Historical and legal evidence” is jointly organised by the Ministry of Information and Communication and the provincial People’s Committee.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Deputy Minister of Information and Communication Pham Hong Hai stressed that the exhibition aims at increasing the public’s awareness and responsibility in safeguarding the country’s sovereignty over the two archipelagos.

The displayed documents and materials at the exhibition are a part of the historical and legal evidence which has been collected both at home and aboard, including from China, he added.

All the reproductions will be presented to the locality after the exhibition in order to continue disseminating information about the country’s sea and island sovereignty to locals.

The exhibition runs until May 31.

Vietnam starts online grant of international driving permit

The Directorate for Roads of Vietnam yesterday said that they have officially launched the online international driving permit (IDP) granting service.

The directorate’s staff is responsible for examining documents and confirming receipt of them to applicants’ emails. The service’s users will make payment online.

IDP applicants need to have valid driver's licenses made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which information is included in national database, banking accounts for online payment.

The online granting is applied to international not normal drivers’ licenses.

Those applying for the normal licenses still need to be present at permit granting agencies to have health check. Domestic driving license is the main database for IDP granting.

Citizens can apply for IDP at www.drvn.gov.vn and www.dichvucong.gplx.gov.vn by filing in online documents and providing address to receive the IDP at home via express delivery.

Vietnam strives to have 96 percent of kids attending preschool

Vietnam has set a target of sending 96 percent of toddlers to preschools full-day by 2020 as per the Ministry of Education and Training’s draft of preschool growth for the period 2016-2020.

Vietnam strives 30 percent of kids aged 18 month to 36 month to attend preschool (many Vietnamese parents keep their children at homes); 90 percent of kids aged three to five year old to be sent to kindergarten. Most of teachers in preschools or kindergarten were well trained.

Moreover, 96 percent of toddlers will be kept in preschools full-day by 2020. Additionally, the education sector will try to reduce the rate of malnourished children and early discover kids with mild autism.

In addition, the draft also outlined by 2025 the country will have 55 percent of preschools meeting national standard, the rate of kids in public schools will reache 70 percent and 30 percent left will studying in private facilities.

The sector will build more 4,493 school rooms worth over VND4 trillion (US$178,746,983) across the country.

Hanoi promotes trade and tourism co-operation with Mekong Delta

Opportunities to support and speed up investment, trade and tourism between Hanoi and the Mekong Delta provinces were featured at a conference in Hanoi on May 26.

The event, jointly held by the Hanoi municipal People's Committee and the Steering Committee for the Southwest Region, saw the presence of members of the Party Central Committee: Nguyen Duc Chung, Chairman of the Hanoi municipal People’s Committee, and Lu Van Hung, Chairman of the Hau Giang provincial People's Committee.

At the conference, Hanoi and 13 provinces of the Mekong Delta introduced their products, potentials and needs during the event, as well as discussed measures to strengthen investment links among cities and provinces.

The conference is expected to provide local firms, associations and businesses with more information about the potentials of Hanoi and the Mekong Delta in order to further boost co-operation in the field.

Participants were also briefed on the socio-economic development of Hanoi and the Mekong Delta provinces over the past few years as well as the two sides’ investment climate and policies.

Representatives from Mekong Delta provinces urged Hanoi enterprises to invest in more than 100 important projects in the region.

Also at the conference, the Hanoi municipal People’s Committee and the Steering Committee for the Southwest Region signed six co-operation agreements on investment, trade and tourism promotion.

Seeking measures to restore post-drought coffee, pepper production

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development held a forum in Gia Lai province on May 26 to discuss measures aimed at restoring coffee and pepper production after severe drought in the Central Highlands region.

The event drew a large number of managers, scientists as well as coffee and pepper growers whose crops have been badly damaged by the drought.

According to the Department of Crop Production, more than 122,000 hectares of coffee and pepper in the Central Highlands have been damaged, in which 6,854 hectares of coffee and 567 hectares of pepper were completely destroyed.

In addition to measures aiming to restore production of coffee and pepper, scientists advised farmers to switch to other drought-tolerant and more profitable perennial plants or seasonal plants in areas with scarce water resources.

It was also recommended that coffee and pepper growers apply advanced cultivation techniques, including efficient watering systems, using varieties that are adaptable to climate change, and plant shady and wind-shielding trees to prevent evaporation.

On the sidelines of the forum, participating delegates had a chance to visit a model of replacing aging coffee trees in Ia Grai district and a drip irrigation system for pepper trees in Chu Puh district.

Sa Pa farmers get rich from medicinal plant crops

Located at a height of 1,500 to 1,800 meters and in a temperate climate zone with temperatures from 15 to 18 degrees Celsius, Sa Pa in Lao Cai province has advantages for growing medicinal plants.

In recent years many households have cultivated precious herbs for domestic pharmaceutical production. The plants have helped farmers in Sa Pa get richer and improve their living conditions.

The artichoke is one of the medicinal plants to have reaped high economic benefits for the locals of Sa Pa. Ma A Sinh’s is one of the households in Sa Pa commune to have the largest area of the plant whose leaves, trunks, roots, and flowers are a remarkable source of earnings.

Sinh said his family have been taught the cultivation techniques and a company has promised to buy their products, adding that his family “grows 3 hectares of artichokes, which generates an income of US$13,500 per year.”

The artichoke is the kind of plant which brings a relatively high income, helping many households in Sa Pa to escape poverty.

Sa Pa now has more than 70 hectares of land for artichoke cultivation, which has harvested nearly 4,000 tons of fresh leaves and generated US$360,000 in revenue.

Traphaco, a pharmaceutical producer, wholesaler, and manufacturer, has pledged to buy all material products and has invested in advanced assembly lines.

Do Tien Sy, the director of Traphaco in Sa Pa, said “in recent years the company has proactively linked enterprises, farmers, scientists, and state agencies to create a master-plan for cultivating medicinal plants so that each type is grown in a specific zone to increase productivity and quality.”

Since last year Sa Pa has implemented a project to plant 5 hectares of ashweed and bulbous aralia.

According to Tran Thi Lan Huong, deputy head of the economic division of Sa Pa district, “from last year until 2020, the district authorities have emphasized the importance of expanding the medicinal plant area to 200 hectares and calling on local people to farm in accordance with the master-plan to ensure all products are of a quality to be consumed.”

In recent years, artichokes have replaced rice planting because the results are higher economic benefits and because they are suitable to the local climate and terrain in Sa Pa.

Salt from central region proved safe for consumption

The National Agro-Forestry-Fishery Quality Assurance Department has announced that salt produced in some central provinces, where abnormal mass fish deaths occurred recently, is safe for consumers.

The agency collected three salt samples in Ha Tinh province and nine others from Nghe An, Khanh Hoa and Ninh Thuan.

All samples were produced in 2016 and have been tested to satisfy food safety standards on heavy metal contamination.

No sample was collected in Quang Binh, as the local production of salt has been halted since the incident took place.

The remaining central localities – Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue – have no areas for salt production.

In early April, massive fish deaths were reported along beaches in four coastal central provinces - Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, aquacultural farms reported 67 tonnes of dead fish while the volume of natural fish found dead was estimated at 100 tonnes.

Investigation is underway into the cause of the phenomenon, which the Government describes as a serious environment accident.

Mekong Delta sustainable development solutions identified

Reforming administrative procedures, improving the quality of human resources and increasing the application of technology are keys to the successful international integration and sustainable development of the Mekong Delta region.

The opinion was shared by many experts at a conference on international integration and sustainable development for the Mekong Delta region held in Tra Vinh by the Foreign Ministry in collaboration with the provincial People’s Committee.

Discussing challenges and solutions facing the Mekong Delta region, Bui Huy Hoang from the Southern Economic Research Centre under the Development Strategy Institute (the Ministry of Planning and Investment), said farmers and enterprises in the Mekong Delta region are facing many difficulties and challenges in the face of Vietnam’s deepening integration into the global economy.

The region has the lowest rate of trained labourers in the country and is limited in science and technology, Hoang said.

Hoang also proposed establishing a financial fund to assist enterprises and farmers in carrying out market research and creating a product value chain meeting GAP standards.

Prof. Dr. Vo Tong Xuan, Rector of Nam Can Tho University, said agriculture is the Mekong Delta region’s strength in international integration, but the region has to find ways to deal with climate change as well as increase the use of green technology in production.

VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri