Tet kumquat, peach transporters earn big

People transporting kumquat and peach trees are earning well these days as the Lunar New Year is nearing.

Hundreds of people, mostly using motorbikes, gather at Tu Lien Ward in Hanoi’s Tay Ho District to transport kumquat and peach trees. 

The work is often from the 10th of the 12th lunar month when families start buying decorations for Tet. Many people come to gardens to select the trees carefully and then hire a motorbike driver for the shipping service.

Le Dinh Nam from Dong Anh District said that he has worked as a hired bonsai tree shipper over the past 15 years in Tu Lien. Sometimes, he even carries the trees to other localities. He transports some 10 trees per day with the fee of VND200,000 (USD8.69) each trip.

Nguyen Van Van from My Duc District said that he has five-year experience in this work. Initially, he was hired to transport small trees for short trips, but gradually, he was trusted by sellers and was assigned bigger trees at higher prices. This has given him a better income.    

Many people come to gardens to select the trees carefully and then hire the shipping service  

The demand for kumquat and peach trees is higher 10 days before Tet.

Many motorbike drivers have turned to transporting kumquat and peach trees rather than people at this time of the year.

Bus fares soar during Tet

Transportation companies in Hanoi have raised tickets by 60% during Tet.

In the past two days, price from Hanoi to Thanh Hoa has been raised from VND100,000 to as much as VND170,000 (USD7.33). Most ticket prices have gone up by 50-60%.

Trinh Huy Hieu, the representative of Quang Trung Transportation Company, said in order to meet demand and avoid overcrowding, the number of Hanoi-Thanh Hoa bus trips had been increased from 16 to 26. Ticket prices had been increased to offset the cost when buses return to the city empty.

According to Hanoi Bus JSC, as of January 28, about 20 firms with inter-province routes had registered higher ticket fees. 18 firms operate at Giap Bat Bus Station and two at Gia Lam Bus Station. Nguyen Tat Thanh, director of Giap Bat Bus Station also said firms actually didn't want to increase ticket fees as they might lose customers. However, the return trips are often empty and they still need to pay for that.

Firms are only allowed to increase fares for a total 20 days before and after Tet.

On January 29, Hanoi Department of Transport has asked firms to publicly list their ticket prices. Bus stations were asked to have measures to ensure security and local authorities must monitor the situation closely to prevent firms from overcharge passengers.

Taxi firms in Hanoi were also asked to publicise fares and follow procedures.

Department of Transport will work with the Department of Finance and locality authorities to inspect the transportation firms.

Bridge helps connect An Giang province with Cambodia

Tan An Bridge is expected to facilitate public travel and goods transportation across the border with Cambodia 

Tan An Bridge that helps connect the Mekong Delta province of An Giang with Cambodia was inaugurated on January 30.

The bridge, spanning across Xang Canal, is 612m long and 12m wide with a load carrying capacity of 33 tonnes.

The facility, invested in with 572 billion VND (over 24.6 million USD) through the central and local budget, links the Long An and Tan An communes of Tan Chau town, thereby connecting Provincial Road 952 with the Vinh Xuong International Border Gate and Cambodia.

Chairman of the An Giang People’s Committee Vuong Binh Thanh said Tan An Bridge will replace Tan An ferry. He described it as a historic milestone for his province as it helps form an artery linking Tan Chau town with the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh through Vinh Xuong International Border Gate.

Thanh voiced his hope that the bridge will facilitate public travel and goods transportation across the border, thus opening up new economic development opportunities. 

Da Nang anticipates 332,500 tourist arrivals during Tet

The central coastal city of Da Nang expects to welcome nearly 332,500 visitors during the upcoming Tet (Lunar New Year), a year-on-year increase of 11.9 percent.

As the Tet holiday makes for a busy tourism season for people from China, Japan, the Republic of Korea (RoK), the EU, and the US, as well as overseas Vietnamese, the city hopes the number of foreigner visitors will rise 23.1 percent to hit 162,600. Thanks to the opening of several direct flights connecting Da Nang to Incheon, Busan, and Daegu (RoK), Osaka (Japan), Bangkok (Thailand), and Doha (Qatar), foreign tourists will now find it much easier to visit the city.

More domestic tourists are expected in the city too, especially after Vietnam Airlines rolls out its Da Nang-Can Tho route with seven round trips per week.

An array of cultural activities have been scheduled in the city for Tet, including a dazzling firework display to welcome in the New Year, an exhibition, as well as the presentation of gifts to the year’s first visitors to the city, among others.

According to Vice Director of the municipal Department of Tourism Nguyen Xuan Binh, localities, travel agents, and tourism service firms have worked to ensure social order, environmental hygiene, food safety, and good quality services.

The city has set the target of welcoming 8.19 million visitors throughout 2019, a rise of 6.9 percent year-on-year, which includes 3.19 million foreigners, an increase of 11 percent. The tourism sector aims to gross 27.4 trillion VND (1.18 billion USD) in revenue, up 13.9 percent against the previous year.

Da Nang city has been a rising popular tourism destination in central Vietnam. The online marketplace and hospitality service Airbnb announced listings of the world’s top 10 destinations for 2018, in which the city ranked fifth with a 255 percent growth in bookings. Meanwhile, travel magazine Live and Invest Overseas voted Da Nang among world’s most livable cities last year.

Con Son-Kiep Bac spring festival 2019 to open next month

At Kiep Bac temple 

The Con Son-Kiep Bac spring festival 2019 is scheduled to take place at the Con Son-Kiep Bac special national relic site in the northern province of Hai Duong from February 14-27, or the 10th-23rd day of the first lunar month. 

During a press conference on January 30, Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism and permanent deputy head of the organising board Nguyen Thi Viet Nga said a highlight of the event will be the bell casting festival at Con Son pagoda and the launch ceremony for the Con Son-Kiep Bac festival on February 20. 

The launch will be broadcast live on Hai Duong television. 

The Con Son-Kiep Bac spring festival 2019 is also meant to mark the 685th death anniversary of Huyen Quang Ton Gia (1334-2014), the third progenitor of Truc Lam Zen Buddhism, thereby popularising the values of the relic site. 

The festival will feature rituals such as incense offering in Con Son pagoda, as well as the temples of Nguyen Trai, Tran Nguyen Dan, Kiep Bac, Nam Tao, and Bac Dau on February 19; a water procession ceremony on February 20; and a worship offering ceremony on Ngu Nhac mountain on February 21. 

Chung cake wrapping, a cooking competition, and a clay firecracker display have also been scheduled.

H’Mong ethnic people to join nation in celebrating Tet

This year, H’Mong ethnic people in Tram Tau district, in the mountainous province of Yen Bai, will celebrate Tet differently. In previous years, they celebrated two New Year festivals, one was the H’Mong traditional New Year and the other the national Tet holiday, but this year they will only be celebrating the latter Tet date.

During leisure time after the harvest period, women in Cu Vai village, Xa Ho commune are busy sewing beautiful clothes to wear during Tet. It takes five days to make each set of clothing.

Giang Thi Sua’s family has five people, therefore it takes Sua a month to sew all the clothes for everyone in the family.

There are 50 households in Cu Vai village, thanks to the support of the Government, local people’s lives have been transformed.

Xa Ho commune has severe weather conditions in winter, and more than 90 percent of the local population is H’Mong ethnic people. Encouraging local people to only celebrate the official national new year celebration has been an effort of local authorities.

Despite its many difficulties, people in Tram Tau village, Yen Bai province are anticipating a more streamlined New Year celebration, under the guidance of the State, Government, and local authorities.

Planning scheme for Moc Chau national tourist site approved

Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung has approved a planning scheme to build Moc Chau national tourist site in the northern mountainous province of Son La until 2030 (Illustrative photo: baochinhphu.vn)

Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung has approved a planning scheme to build Moc Chau national tourist site in the northern mountainous province of Son La until 2030.

The Moc Chau national tourist site will be built on an area spanning 206,150 ha in the two districts of Moc Chau and Van Ho. It is expected to attract 1.65 million visitors by 2020, and about 5 million by 2030.

Various tourism types will be developed in the national tourism site, such as eco-tourism, cultural tourism and resort tourism.

In addition to constructing accommodation establishments and entertainment complex, cultural and historical relics, as well as tourist attractions in the locality will be restored. The province will promote the training of personnel in tourism services and high technology agriculture in the coming time.

Competent agencies will work to improve the local health care system and protect the environment, contributing to climate change response.

Infrastructure for trading activities will also be enhanced in the near future, particularly the Long Sap international border gate.

TV shows promoting traditional culture to be screened

A scene in the film Vương Tơ (Love for Silk).

Two TV shows promoting Vietnamese culture will be shown during the Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday on Vietnam Journey, the television channel under radio Voice of Việt Nam (VOV).

The shows are the result of co-operation between VOV and the Việt Nam Film Studio (VFS).

Launched last month, Vietnam Journey aims to honour Vietnamese culture and tourism. The screening of these shows is a part of the effort, according to Nguyễn Thế Kỷ, general director of the VOV.   

“We are introducing two shows for the Tết holiday to give viewers a chance to relax and enjoy interesting stories,” he said.

“The stories are told in a tender and humorous way to call on people to preserve the country’s fine traditions.”

Vương Tơ (Beauty of Silk) tells the story of Vạn Phúc Silk Village in Hà Đông District, where the trade of weaving silk has been nurtured for centuries. The film depicts the process of making and designing silk, and how hard the artisans fight to preserve the traditional trade in the face of modern trends and foreign brands.

Directed by Nguyễn Đức Việt, the show stars Quốc Tuấn, Phú Đôn, Vĩnh Xương and Thu Hiền.

Xương said he spent a long time and effort learning to weave silk for the role. He was so happy when he successfully made his first silk ribbon.

“The show honours traditional values and handicraft,” he said.

“With this role, I learned about the hard work of the artisans and respect their attempt to preserve and promote the traditional trade.”

Bến Bờ Hạnh Phúc (The Wharf of Happiness) highlights the important value of family reuniting for Tết. When Tết comes, it brings happiness for many people. However, some people don’t like Tết because their children are off school and they have to take care of them. Housemaids are off to spend the Tết holiday with their families. Some people want to spend the Tết holiday travelling abroad. The conflict and humourous situations happen when parents and grandparents want the family to gather to enjoy Tết.

The show reminds people of the importance of Tết and related rituals, said director Trần Chí Thành. It stars Bùi Bài Bình, Thùy Trang and other actors.

“With different accents and customs of the northern and southern regions, the show should entertain viewers,” he said.

Each series consists of five 45-minute episodes. They will be aired between February 5-9.

Upgrade of National Highway 5 ordered after deadly accident

The scene of the accident. A truck driver high on drugs crashed into pedestrians walking along National Highway No.5 running through Kim Lương Commune in Hải Dương Province on January 21, leaving eight people dead and seven others injured. 

The Directorate for Roads of Vietnam (DRVN) had asked the Vietnam Infrastructure Development and Finance Investment Joint Stock Company (VIDIFI) to conduct repairs to prevent traffic accidents on National Highway 5 ahead of the busy Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday, Vietnam Plus reported.

The VIDIFI was instructed to upgrade road markings to delineate lanes and traffic signals before Tết, which falls on February 5 this year.

The DRVN also asked the Department of Transport Safety, the Road Administration Department I and the VIDIFI to co-ordinate with transport departments and local authorities in reviewing all pedestrian bridges and report to the Ministry of Transport in February.

The Road Administration Department I was asked to work with relevant agencies to settle violations related to road safety on National Highway 5.

Earlier, Minister of Transport Nguyễn Văn Thể ordered the DRVN to review all pedestrian bridges nationwide to prevent further accidents.

The move came after a truck driver high on drugs crashed into pedestrians walking along National Highway No.5 running through Kim Lương Commune in Hải Dương Province on January 21. Eight people were killed and seven others were injured in the incident.

The deadly accident occurred just 100m from a pedestrian bridge which connects Kim Thành Commune’s villages along the highway.

The stairs leading to the bridge are located right next to the highway. To reach the staircase, pedestrians have no choice but to walk along the highway where cars travel at speeds of up to 80kph.

The section of National Highway 5 where the accident occurred runs through four villages that are home to about 4,000 people. Opposite the accident site are primary and secondary schools. Thousands of students walk on the highway to reach the bridge every day.

According to the VIDIFI, which is in charge of Highway 5’s management, there are 31 pedestrian bridges on the highway running through Hưng Yên, Hải Dương and Hải Phòng.

Hotlines on traffic safety unveiled

The National Committee for Traffic Safety (NCTS) has announced 20 hotlines to receive people’s reports and queries on traffic issues during the Tết holiday and spring festivals.

During the week-long Tết holiday from February 14 to 20 last year, traffic accidents claimed 168 lives across the country while 37,200 other people were injured, according to a report issued by the Ministry of Health. 

HCM City to relocate 38 families from dangerous building

The HCM City Department of Construction and District 1’s People’s Committee are working together to relocate 38 families living in an apartment building that could collapse at any time, according to a department inspection. 

The HCM City People’s Committee has issued an urgent dispatch to its Department of Construction and the District 1’s People’s Committee to relocate families living in a 20-year-old apartment building that could collapse at any time.

According to the dispatch, the department will work with District 1’s People’s Committee to ensure people’s safety.

The city’s People’s Committee asked the department to strictly fine any guilty party and to discover why the building began to lean 45 centimetres, as determined by a department inspection.

The city told the department and District 1’s People’s Committee to come up with an urgent plan to relocate the 38 households who live there.

An emergency meeting was held with the building’s residents on Wednesday evening.

Construction started on apartment building E at No 518 Võ Văn Kiệt Street in 1996 and was completed in 1999. 

Vĩnh Phúc to pay more care to children living with HIV

The northern province of Vĩnh Phúc will put in place different measures this year to improve the lives of children living with HIV and help them integrate into the community, said experts from the provincial social sponsoring centre. — Photo tiengchuong.vn

The northern province of Vĩnh Phúc will put in place different measures this year to improve the lives of children living with HIV and help them integrate into the community, said experts from the provincial social sponsoring centre.

Statistics from the centre showed that more than 2,000 children were affected by HIV/AIDS in the province, of whom 35 are living with AIDS.

The province has conducted different programmes and policies to support the children.

All of them receive treatment with antiretroviral (ARV) drugs and get supplements, and can go to school.

The province has two health stations and three hospitals that give treatment to HIV/AIDS patients.

Early diagnosis is given to under-18-month-old children to reduce treatment expenses.

Vĩnh Phúc has improved education on the issue to raise people’s awareness and prevent discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS.

The provincial Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs has collaborated with concerned organisations to hold forums and workshops on the disease. Thanks to these activities, attendees learn about preventing the disease and transmission from mothers to children. 

Ho Chi Minh City aims to finish metro in 2020

The Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway Management Board (MAUR) will work with contractors, consulting firms and others to speed up the city’s first metro route between Ben Thanh and Suoi Tien, a recent meeting heard. 

A cost overrun, audits and delayed payments to contractors caused the delays of first metro line.

“We will try to complete the project in 2020,” Bui Xuan Cuong, head of MAUR, said.

A cost overrun, audits and delayed payments to contractors caused the delays, he said.

“Certain aspects are beyond the ambit of our authority and require intervention by city leaders to resolve.”

The project, which began in 2012, was expected to be finished in 2017 and become operational this year.

MAUR has informed the city People’s Committee of the funding requirements in 2019 and sought its approval and full payment to contractors based on the work they have done since the Government has approved the new cost of the project.

“Only 62 percent of the project was completed in 2018 against a target of 65 percent,” Duong Huu Hoa, director of the project, said.

The project needs to be sped up this year by adopting solutions so that 80 percent of the work is completed this year, he said.

He suggested that in the first quarter the focus should be on disbursement to contractors so the work could progress.

Contractors and consultants said the delays in payment have severely affected the progress, making it difficult to complete the work next year.

“The Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien metro line is an important project for HCM City and a symbol of cooperation between Vietnam and Japan, and therefore the current problems should be resolved quickly,” Kota Murakami of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the project’s major funder, said.

“JICA highly appreciates the efforts of HCM City in providing money to contractors in advance, and in future MAUR should provide all information for the city to oversee the project.”

Nguyen Van Tam, deputy director of the Department of Transport, promised that MAUR would work to clear problems to ensure quick approval of documents related to the project.

“MAUR should take time and carefully make documents before submitting to authorities,” he said.-VNS

Poor people in central provinces of Quang Tri and Quang Nam, and the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong received aid ahead of the traditional Lunar New Year (Tet) festival.

More than 29,530 families of policy beneficiaries in Quang Tri province were presented gifts from the State President on the occasion. 

Gift sets of 400,000 VND (17 USD) each were presented to about 660 families of people who made contributions to the country’s revolutionary cause and heroic mothers, while over 28,870 ones of wounded soldiers received gifts worth 200,000 VND.

Meanwhile, authorities in Quang Nam province visited and presented thousands of gifts to policy beneficiaries, ethnic people, residents affected by natural disasters, and disadvantaged workers.

Several programmes to celebrate Tet were arranged by the provincial Border Guard High Command and the Quang Nam Federation of Labour. Particularly, as many as 12 houses were given to disadvantaged members of the federation.

Besides, the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee raised funds to build and repair 25 houses for ethnic minority families in districts of Nam Giang, Bac Tra My, and Nam Tra My ahead of Tet.

The People’s Committee of Lam Dong province spent more than 27 billion VND (about 1.17 million USD) supporting State policy beneficiaries this year.

The province also decided to build public facilities worth 500 million VND (21,600 USD) each, with one commune in one district having one.

Remission for over 600 prisoners in Tay Ninh before Tet

As many as 606 prisoners in the southern province of Tay Ninh have been granted remission for good behavior ahead of the upcoming Tet (Lunar New Year) festival. 

In Cay Cay prison in Tan Bien district, a court official announced a decision to reduce jail sentences for 574 prisoners, including 73 individuals who are allowed to return home before Tet. The remaining have had their jail sentences reduced by one to 22 months. 

In other prisons the same day, eight inmates were released from jail, while 24 others enjoyed one to seven month reductions in their sentences. 

Warden Pham Van Buoc in Cay Cay prison said those in difficult circumstances were provided with clothing, footwear, fares, and subsistence allowance for family reunions on the occasion. 

Activities bring warm Tet to underprivileged workers in HCM City, Hau Giang

As many as 36 buses departed Ho Chi Minh City to carry over 1,500 poor workers free of charge to their hometowns for the traditional Tet (Lunar New Year) festival on January 30

As many as 36 buses departed Ho Chi Minh City to carry over 1,500 poor workers free of charge to their hometowns for the traditional Tet (Lunar New Year) festival on January 30. 

The transportation was organised by the Ho Chi Minh City Federation of Labour in conjunction with the trade union for export processing zones and industrial parks in the city. 

These were the first buses among the 96 scheduled to carry disadvantaged workers home for the special occasion. 

According to Huynh Van Tuan, head of the trade union for export processing zones and industrial parks in HCM City, as many as 4,000 poor labourers have been presented with free admission tickets, which will help reunite them with their families. 

The same day, 600 gift packages were presented to labourers with difficult circumstances working at the Tan Phu Thanh industrial park, in Chau Thanh A district of the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang, during a programme organised by the provincial Federation of Labour. 

On the occasion, local trade unions at all levels have prepared nearly 31,000 Tet gift packages for poor workers and provided free bus and train tickets to reunite labourers with their families. 

Deputy PM grants Tet gifts to poor households in Hoa Binh

Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue presents Tet gifts to poor people in Thung Nai commune (Source: baohoabinh.com.vn)

Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue on January 30 visited and presented gifts to poor households and children living in disadvantaged circumstances in Thung Nai and Binh Thanh communes, Cao Phong district in the northern province of Hoa Binh on the occasion of the Tet (Lunar New Year) festival.

In discussing the poor living conditions of disadvantaged households in the two communes, Hue emphasised that the Party and State’s policy is to ensure all Vietnamese people can enjoy a warm Tet. Therefore, over the past years, the Party, State, social organisations, and individual donors have paid particular attention to caring for those less fortunate during the Tet holidays.

Priority has been given to improving not only the material, but also spiritual life of people, especially those living in disadvantaged circumstances.

He added that the State is speeding up agricultural restructuring, new-style rural area building, production development, and job generation in rural areas, thus raising the living standards of local people.

The Deputy PM asked local Party organisations and authorities to continue supporting poor households and policy beneficiaries, and to encourage them to exert efforts to overcome their difficulties.

On this occasion, he presented 100 gifts worth 1.3 million VND (56 USD) each to poor households, and 300 gifts worth 500,000 VND each to underprivileged students. Authorities from Hoa Binh province also granted 100 presents worth 1.3 million VND each to local poor families.