Car falls into Hanoi's Red River, two killed

A four-seater car is pulled out of the Red River in Hà Nội early yesterday after it crashed on the Chương Dương Bridge on Saturday, killing two people inside. — Photo vietnamplus.vn

Two people were killed when a four-seater car crashed off the Chương Dương Bridge in Hà Nội into the Red River on Saturday.

The Mercedes-Benz vehicle hit the handrail and fell into the river early evening as it was crossing the bridge to get to the city’s centre from Long Biên District.

Authorities said the car’s front was crushed and its airbag had exploded when it was taken out of the water early yesterday.

The two victims were identified as Nguyễn Thị Thu Hương, 29, from Hà Đông District, and Bùi Kim Chi, 21, a resident of Thanh Xuân District.

Hương, the car’s owner, was sitting in the back seat when she was killed.

The crash is under investigation.

National K Hospital director Trần Văn Thuấn (l) and Marie Institute International Co-operation Director Pierre Anhoury (r) sign a cooperation agreement on cancer prevention and research on Saturday in Hà Nội. 

The National K (Cancer) Hospital and France’s Marie Institute will work together on cancer prevention, treatment and research under an agreement signed on Saturday in Hà Nội.

The agreement was witnessed by Vietnamese Health Minister Nguyễn Thị Kim Tiến and French Minister of Solidarity and Health Agnes Buzyn on the occasion of her official visit to Việt Nam.

“Cancer control and prevention currently remains a big challenge to modern medicine in the world, requiring not only the latest professional knowledge and techniques but also efforts from patients, their families and support from the whole of society and the community,” said Tiến.

 “I believe that co-operation between the National K Hospital and Marie Institute would contribute greatly to cancer control and prevention in Việt Nam,” added Tiến.

National K Hospital director Trần Văn Thuấn said that the two sides would work together on training human resources and sharing professional experience, while establishing joint programmes on research, training and patient care.

The two sides would also organize an annual conference and other symposiums to exchange information in the fields of hospital management, research and training.

Thuấn added that as result of the new agreement, the second Việt Nam and French Cancer Conference with a focus on lung cancer would take place in Hà Nội on November 7.

The burden of cancer is increasing in Việt Nam and around the world. Việt Nam currently has around 300,000 people living with cancer. In 2018, Việt Nam reported around 165,000 new cancer cases and nearly 115,000 people die from cancer yearly. Most cancer patients were diagnosed in the later stages, making treatment more difficult and expensive.

At the launching ceremony of the office 

Can Tho University and Brain Works Asia Co., Ltd of Japan launched a new office for the Centre for Advanced Technology Research and Renovation in the university on November 2, which aims to strengthen technological application in production, especially aquaculture and rice cultivation in the Mekong Delta region.

The move was part of activities celebrating the 45th founding anniversary of Vietnam-Japan diplomatic relations and the fourth Vietnam-Japan cultural and commercial exchange programme that is running from November 2-4.

Prof. Dr. Ha Thanh Toan, Principal of the Can Tho University, said that the centre’s main objective is to foster coordination between the university and Japanese firms in science and technology research, especially in information technology, to meet development demands of the Mekong Delta region.

The centre is a hub for nurturing startup ideas in science-technology with the support of Japanese experts, he added.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Phuong Lam, Vice Director of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI)’s Branch in Can Tho, hailed the role that the Can Tho University plays in providing human resources for the city, while stressing the need for science-technology application in production and business in the current period.

Shingo Tamura, head of the centre, said that the launching of the office is expected to facilitate momentum for scientific research that can serve the economic development of Can Tho, as well as the whole Mekong Delta region.

The centre is hoped to play a key role in business development, especially firms operating in the science and technology sector.

Prof. Toan said that along with the centre, the Can Tho University has also teamed up with Japan’s Yanmar Company to form a Yanmar research centre in the university with a focus on agricultural machinery research. The university has also worked with two other Japanese firms to build a production chain for agricultural products and by-products in the region, he added.

Supreme Court rejects Trust Bank appeals

The HCM City People’s Supreme Court on Friday rejected all 26 appeals from 11 defendants and 15 of 214 people affected by economic mismanagement and misappropriation at Trust Bank, which led to a loss of VNĐ6.3 trillion (US$271 million).

The HCM City People’s Supreme Court on Friday rejected all 26 appeals from 11 defendants and 15 of 214 people affected by economic mismanagement and misappropriation at Trust Bank, which led to a loss of VNĐ6.3 trillion (US$271 million).

The court retained the 30-year sentence for key defendant Hứa Thị Phấn, a former senior advisor for the management board of Trust Bank and former chairwoman of the management board of Phú Mỹ Investment and Development JSC.

She had appealed all of the previous first-instance judgments. In her letter of appeal, Phấn said the first-instance judgments were adjudicated unfairly and did not consider all of the evidence.

According to the first-instance verdict, Hứa Thị Phấn, taking advantage of her majority shareholder status (at the time she controlled 84.92 per cent of Trust Bank’s charter capital),  took over management of the bank.

She wrongfully inflated the value of her house on Phạm Ngọc Thạch Street to sell it to Trust Bank, leading to a financial loss of over VNĐ1.1 trillion ($48.5 million).

She was also alleged to have violated the accounting law, causing a loss of over VNĐ5.2 trillion ($223.6 million) to the bank.

Phấn was asked to pay compensation of more than VNĐ1.1 trillion ($48.5 million) to CBBank for “abusing trust to appropriate property” and another VNĐ15.7 trillion ($691.7 million) for “intentionally violating State regulations on economic management and causing serious consequences”.

The judge agreed with the previous court’s decision to ask the Phương Trang company and other enterprises who co-operated with the Phương Trang company to pay back VNĐ6.4 trillion ($280 million) to the bank.

On May 31, 28 former officials of Trust Bank (Đại Tín Bank, now known as the Việt Nam Construction Bank) were sentenced to between three and 30 years in prison by the city People’s Supreme Court on charges of “abusing trust to appropriate property” and “intentionally violating State regulations on economic management and causing serious consequences” after a three-week trial.

Eleven of the 28 defendants in the case appealed the court’s verdict, while 15 of 214 people who incurred losses because of financial wrongdoings called for the trial that ended yesterday (Friday, Nov 2). 

Cà Mau takes steps to improve super-intensive shrimp farms

A “super-intensive” shrimp pond in Cà Mau City’s Hòa Tân Commune in Cà Mau Province. 

The deputy chairman of the Cà Mau Province People’s Committee has asked local authorities to complete the zoning of concentrated farming areas for intensive- shrimp farming and super-intensive shrimp farming models.

Speaking at a seminar on Thursday, Lê Văn Sử said shrimp breeders using the intensive models who do not meet environmental protection regulations should breed other aquatic species or switch to another shrimp model.

Local governments and the province’s interdisciplinary inspection team have been asked to carry out inspections and help households follow regulations.

More than 1,470 households breeding shrimp under these models have failed to meet regulations. The province expects to resolve any problems associated with these households by the end of the year.    

Cà Mau, the country’s largest shrimp producer, has nearly 16,000 households that breed 9,620ha of shrimp under intensive and super-intensive models.

Most of the areas are in Cà Mau City and Đầm Dơi, Phú Tân, Cái Nước, Năm Căn and Trần Văn Thời districts. 

Of the 9,620ha, more than 2,010ha are under super-intensive farming, in which the density of shrimp can be up to 250 per square metres, about five times higher than traditional farming methods.

Nets protect the super-intensive ponds from the sun overhead, while water wheels and pumps on the pond beds help oxygenate the water.

The super-intensive farming model requires a number of ponds that serve different purposes. First, baby shrimp are grown in one pond, then shifted to another pond until they grow slightly larger, and later transferred to a pond where they grow to maturity. Two other ponds on the farm filter fresh water and treat wastewater.

Investment is higher in super-intensive farming compared to other shrimp models.

Châu Công Bằng, deputy director of the province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that most farmers who breed shrimp under intensive and super-intensive farming models were aware of regulations and had applied advanced farming techniques to treat waste.

However, many farmers continue to breed shrimp in unzoned areas and do not follow environmental protection regulations.

Thái Hoàng Bo, deputy chairman of the Đầm Dơi District People’s Committee, said the number of violations remained high, mostly because of farming scale, available capital, and farming techniques.

Đầm Dơi District, which has the largest area of intensive and super-intensive shrimp farming models in the province, has 4,522 households that breed more than 2,850ha of shrimp under the models. 

An Giang ensures quality of cattle, poultry products

The Mekong Delta Province of An Giang has strengthened measures to control and prevent disease among cattle and poultry.

The An Giang Province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has strengthened measures to control and prevent diseases among cattle and poultry.

The provincial veterinary sector has vaccinated cattle and poultry and disseminated information about avian influenza prevention to all households.

In addition, the province has stepped up inspections of animals transported to the province, slaughter units, and animal feed mills.

The province’s Department of Animal Health has worked with agencies at Vĩnh Hội Đông and Phú Hội commune border gates to prevent smuggling across the border.

The province has yet to detect any violation.

The province has 75,000 cows, 113,000 pigs and 4.3 million poultry.

By the end of the year, the province expects to provide 29,529 tonnes of beef and pork, 6,639 tonnes of poultry, and 368 million poultry eggs.

Since the beginning of the year, thanks to a stable consumption market, along with disease prevention, many breeding facilities have developed well.

Beef prices are now at VNĐ130,000 to VNĐ150,000 per kilo, equivalent to VNĐ39 million to VNĐ45 million per cow.

The price of pigs remains at the high price of VNĐ49,000 to VNĐ50,000 per kilo, an increase of VNĐ20,000 to VNĐ30,000 compared to earlier this year.

In addition, the price of poultry meat has increased from VNĐ3,000 to VNĐ5,000 per kilo. 

Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu works to remove EC’s yellow card on aquatic products

Fishing boats in Côn Đảo Island District in Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu Province. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has yet to issue guidance and technical standards for the installation of GPS devices. 

Authorities in Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu Province have instructed fishing vessels to install GPS devices to minimise and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

The move was made following the Government’s direction to ask the European Commission (EC) to revoke a “yellow card” warning against Vietnamese aquaculture products.

Boat owners who did not install GPS would not be granted fishing licences, the decision said.

Deputy director of the department Nguyễn Đức Hoàng said initial statistics showed that around 1,000 local fishing vessels had installed the devices.

Among them, 270 fishing ships were given funding to install Movimar GPS, which cost VNĐ135 million (US$5,800) each, he said.

Movimar satellite technology is a modern system which also helps fishermen get weather forecasts and communicate with the mainland and other boats in case of any incidents.

However, Hoàng said, the installation still faced certain challenges.

Most Movimar devices were old or even broken. The department had collected 70 devices to repair.

A number of local fishermen complained that the device was not easy to use because of complicated steps while it was hard to hear in strong winds.

Tôn Ân, a fisherman from Long Điền District, said many fishermen were not interested in installing Movimar because communication between fishing ships and the mainland had many difficulties.

Director of the provincial Agriculture and Rural Development Department Trần Văn Cường said another challenge was the lack of strict management and related regulations, making it hard to manage and punish fishing ships that did not install or turn on tracking devices.

The amended Law on Fisheries will take effect from January 1, 2019, requiring all fishing vessels with a length of over 15m to install tracking devices.

However, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development had yet to issue guidance and technical standards for the installation of these devices, according to Cường.

As a result, many ship owners had installed devices that were not connected to local authorities, making it hard for them to supervise their operations.

The provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development had asked the ministry to issue technical standards for the installation of the devices and connect monitoring systems between localities nationwide to ensure unity, Cường said.

In October last year, the EC imposed a yellow card on Vietnamese seafood for failing to stop IUU fishing.

Since the imposition of the yellow card, the Government, ministries, agencies and localities have been trying to meet the EC’s demands.

The EC had taken note of Việt Nam’s efforts in addressing IUU fishing and its inspectors were expected to return to Việt Nam in January next year to review progress in addressing its ‘yellow card’ warning, according to the ministry. 

Lý Sơn Island fights fake garlic

Original registered black garlic of Lý Sơn Island is on sale at a market. The island district has asked HCM City market watch agency to investigate alleged violations of the Lý Sơn garlic brand by the IAMV company

The island district of Lý Sơn has asked the I Am V company from HCM City to dismantle advertising banners for their ‘Lý Sơn garlic products’ that were displayed on the Shark tank Việt Nam TV show recently.

Vice chairwoman of the island district’s people’s committee, Phạm Thị Hương confirmed to Việt Nam News that the company’s Lý Sơn garlic products – including black garlic, black garlic cake, fermented black garlic soft drink, black garlic extract juice and one clove garlic – was fake and had seriously violated the registered brand of the Lý Sơn garlic product collective trademark.

Hương said the company’s director Lê Minh Hồng Phúc showed the I Am V Lý Sơn black garlic products on the TV show on national television channel 3 (VTV3), stating that her company’s garlic products were grown on Lý Sơn Island, and the company supplies 300kg of one clove garlic (or Tỏi Cô Đơn) to the market.

Hương said the I Am V Lý Sơn black garlic products were quite different to those from Lý Sơn Island in both colour and size.

“We reconfirmed that the company lied. Lý Sơn garlic product is white, not violet like the company showed on VTV3. The district has not given approval to any companies farming or producing products from our garlic,” Hương said.

“Lý Sơn garlic is only grown and produced by farmers living on the island, 30km off the coast of Quảng Ngãi Province, while the I Am V company was not a member of the Lý Sơn Garlic Association,” she said.

The vice chairwoman said the district’s 400ha of garlic and onion farms could only harvest 300kg of one clove garlic (Tỏi Cô Đơn) each crop (one year), so the company’s claim of a 300kg production capacity was not true.

She also confirmed the company had not farmed or bought garlic from any farmers in Lý Sơn Island so far.

The district also asked VTV3 to correct the Lý Sơn garlic brand shown on ‘Shark tank Việt Nam’.

Lý Sơn Island’s people’s committee also sent a request to HCM City’s Market Watch agency to inspect violations of the Lý Sơn Garlic product brand by the company in protection of the original registered Lý Sơn garlic product.

According to the island district, the mass trade of fake garlic has hurt the island’s signature product in recent years, and at least dozens of companies and shops have sold the fake products, even in Quảng Ngãi city.

Hương said the district, in co-operation with the provincial border guard and market watch, was working to stop illegal shipments of fake Lý Sơn garlic from the mainland to the island.

Many shops and traders have used the Lý Sơn trademark without permission, according to the Quảng Ngãi provincial department of trade and industry.

Earlier this year, the district seized 620kg of garlic that was headed from Khánh Hòa to the island to be sold under the Lý Sơn trademark.

Some farmers transported garlic planted and harvested in a district in Khánh Hòa to sell on Lý Sơn Island, while tourists and visitors are unable to recognise the original Lý Sơn garlic. The fake garlic was often packaged without any labeling or certificates of origin.

In 2017, the district produced more than 6,500 tonnes of garlic.

Lý Sơn garlic is priced at VNĐ60,000 (US$2.6) for a fresh kilo, and VNĐ150,000 ($6.6) for a dried kilo, according to the district.

In 2007, the National Office of Intellectual Property of Việt Nam, under the Ministry of Science and Technology, recognised the brand ownership for the products of Lý Sơn Island including garlic, onions, seafood, garlic wine, dried seafood and seaweed for 50 households on the island.

Lý Sơn Island has been building the Geographical Indication (GI) for their Lý Sơn garlic products and more than 100 members of the Lý Sơn Garlic Association.

The island, known as the Kingdom of Garlic in Việt Nam, has 21,000 inhabitants, of whom 73 per cent make their living from farming garlic and spring onions or fishing.

HCM City celebrates Indian Diwali Festival

The annual Indian Diwali Fest 2018 in HCM City. — Photo courtesy of Incham

More than 1,000 expats and Vietnamese attended the annual Indian Diwali Fest 2018, known as “The Festival of Lights”, in HCM City on November 3.

Diwali or Deepavali is the biggest festival in the year for the Indian community in Việt Nam.

Organised by the Indian Business Chamber in Việt Nam (Incham) at GEM Center in District 1 from 6pm until late, the event provided unique dance performances as well as authentic cuisine from the ethnically diverse Indian sub-continent, a free flow of drinks, and prizes for a raffle draw.

It included performances from Bollywood playback singer Shabab Sabri and his band, the winner of the Aap Ki Awaz Media Excellence Award 2014.

A part of the proceeds from ticket sale will be donated for charity, according to Incham.

Diwali is one of the most sacred festivals for Hindus and is widely celebrated across India. It spiritually signifies the victory of light over darkness, or good over evil.

Preparations for Diwali start a few weeks before the festival date, and the rituals typically extend over a five-day period.

The main festival night of Diwali coincides with the darkest, new moon night of the Hindu calendar month Kartika. Based on the Gregorian calendar, Diwali night falls between mid-October and mid-November.

Besides India, Diwali is also widely celebrated in Sri Lanka, Singapore, Nepal, Malaysia, Mauritius and other countries. 

Stone pit exploitation threatens Buông River

A stone pit near the Buông River in Phước Tân Commune in Đồng Nai Province. 

Stone pits located near the Buông River in the southern province of Đồng Nai could cause the river’s banks to collapse, a report from the province’s Department of Mineral Resources and Environment has said.

The department has asked provincial authorities to conduct a feasibility study on the environmental impact of the Phước Tân stone pits located near the Buông River.

Figures from the department show that agencies have licensed 10 stone pits covering 400ha along a section of the 53-km Buông River in the province.

Some of these stone pits, such as Tân Cang, Tân Cang 2 and Ấp Miễu, are located only 50 metres from the riverbank.

Licensed between 1998 and 2010, the stone pits were permitted to operate for 30 to 50 years.

Excavators had previously conducted feasibility studies on the impact of individual stone pits, but no study was done on the impact on Đồng Nai Province in general.

“To protect Buông River, the Department of Mineral Resources and Environment has asked local authorities to conduct a study on the impact of the exploitation of these stone pits on the environment of the region, which will help them take necessary measures,” a spokesman from the department said.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson from Đồng Nai People’s Committee was quoted by Người Lao Động (Labourer) newspaper as saying that agencies had not recognised the impact of the stone pits on the Buông River when licensing the stone pits.

“If there are signs of risks facing Buông River caused by stone pit exploitation, the stone pits must be closed immediately,” said Nguyễn Ngọc Hưng, deputy director of the Department of Mineral Resources and Environment of Đồng Nai Province.

Japanese consumer goods on show at Cool Japan Festival 2018 

 Up to 10,000 Japanese goods are in the spotlight at the Cool Japan Festival 2018 which is underway in the capital city.

Foodstuff, home appliances, cosmetics, healthcare products and items for mothers and babies are being showcased by 40 Japanese firms and Sakuko Vietnam.

The three-day event, from November 2, is expected to attract 2,000 domestic and international visitors. It also features Japanese art performances, music shows, tea ceremonies, lucky draws and a competition with prizes worth up to VND600 million (over US$26,300) on offer.

“The event, which is being held on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the Viet Nam – Japan diplomatic relations, delivers our tribute to domestic consumers,” Nguyen Thi Thu Trang, marketing director of Sakuko Vietnam, said.

Over the past seven years, Sakuko had strived to improve the living quality of Vietnamese people through providing quality consumer products from Japan, Trang said.

Sakuko Vietnam owns a chain of 14 stores around the capital, making it the biggest provider of Japanese goods in the country. The company plans to increase its number of stores to 20 by early 2019.

Last year, the company’s convenience chain received the “Trust and Use 2017” award from the Vietnam Economic Times. The title honoured the top 100 enterprises with quality products and services that were trusted and used by consumers. 

At the opening ceremony of the exhibition 

An exhibition featuring French architecture in Saigon – Ho Chi Minh City in the late 19th and early 20th centuries opened in the southern city on November 4. 

On display are about 300 documents, photos, maps and designs preserved by Vietnam and provided by the French Consulate General in HCM City. 

In his opening remarks, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Tran Vinh Tuyen, said the exhibition is expected to contribute to expanding the cooperation and friendship between Vietnam and France in the time ahead. 

Vincent Floreani, French Consul General to HCM City, applauded the cultural and historical values of the exhibition, which introduces the cultural diversity of Saigon-HCM City - a valuable asset that needs to be preserved and promoted by next generations. 

The event, to run for 20 days, marks the 320th anniversary of Saigon-Cho Lon-Gia Dinh-HCM City (1698-2018) and the 45th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and France. 

It is also to welcome French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe on his three-day official visit to Vietnam at the invitation of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Traditional Vietnamese products introduced in France

Vietnam has also provided information about Vietnamese culture, cuisine, tourism and airlines for visitors. 

Vietnamese handicrafts, herbal tea and dried fruit are being introduced at the ongoing Grenoble International Fair in Grenoble city, France’s Isere province.

Vietnam has also provided information about Vietnamese culture, cuisine, tourism and airlines for visitors, and organised art performances during the fair. 

Claus Habfast, President of the Alpexpo Exhibition Centre in Grenoble city, highlighted the close economic ties between Vietnam and France, adding that the countries have also become closer culturally. 

Nguyen Thanh Vuong, Director of the Culture Centre of Vietnam in France, said through the Vietnamese booth at the fair, foreigners will learn more about the Southeast Asian country. 

Vietnam’s participation at the fair as an honourary guest forms part of activities marking the 45th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between Vietnam and France and five years of the establishment of the bilateral strategic partnership. 

The event takes place from November 1-12.

French PM attends inauguration of French medical centre in HCM City

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe (R) and Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien inaugurate the French medical centre in HCM City. 

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe on November 4 attended a ceremony to inaugurate the French medical centre in Ho Chi Minh City as part of his official visit to Vietnam from November 2-4.

The event was part of the activities to mark 45th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties and five years of strategic partnership between Vietnam and France.

In his remarks, the French PM expressed his delight at the operation of the medical centre, saying that besides giving medical examination and treatment, the centre will help boost medical and pharmaceutical training for Vietnamese doctors.

Collaboration between Vietnamese and French doctors at the centre will offer opportunities for both sides to enhance experience sharing and human resources training to better public health care, he added.

According to Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, the ministry and the French Ministry of Solidarity and Health inked a cooperation programme in the framework of the French PM’s visit, which covers training (with certificates), support for infectious disease prevention, training in medical and financial management, and human resources development.

The programme is a good opportunity for Vietnamese doctors and managers to improve their expertise in the public health sector and effectively supervise capital sources for the sector, she underlined.

Since 1993, generations of Vietnamese medical officials who received training in France have become leading experts in the health care sector. Also, the signing of various inter-government agreements in the field has formed a foundation for exchange activities between the two countries, contributing to developing Vietnam’s medical system, especially in cardiovascular, cancer, anesthesia, neonatology, maternity and public health.

Lao drug traffickers arrested in Dien Bien

The arrested at the investigation agency (Source: http://www.bienphong.com.vn)

The border guard of the northern mountainous province of Dien Bien and the competent forces of Tay Trang international border gate in Dien Bien district on November 3 captured the two Lao drug traffickers. 

Cu A The, born in 1992, and Sung A E, born in 1996, both from Muonghop commune, Phonthoong district, Luangprabang province of Laos were found trading 30,000 meth pills and 10 bricks of heroin weighing 3.5 kg in total hidden in two backpacks. 

The police also seized two mobile phones.

The arrested admitted that they bought the drugs in Laos and transported them through the border for selling to a Vietnamese person.

Further investigation into the case is underway.

Seminar promotes Vietnam-Japan culture, trade exchanges

Japanese performance at the seminar

The Vietnam-Japan culture exchange seminar was held in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on November 3, covering a wide range of issues, from politics-diplomacy to culture, education-training, tourism and trade cooperation.

The event was part of the 4th Vietnam-Japan culture and trade exchange programme taking place in Can Tho city from November 2-4.

Vice Chairman of the city People’s Committee Truong Quang Hoai Nam affirmed that Japan is a large trade, investment and tourism partner of Vietnam in general and Can Tho city in particular; however, bilateral cooperation is still a far cry from potential and strengths of both sides.

He stated that the city has worked to complete mechanisms and improve business climate to fortify collaboration with Japan in prioritised sectors of high-tech agriculture and tourism.

Prof.Dr. Ha Thanh Toan, Rector of Can Tho University, said that the university and Japanese businesses and individuals are running a line-up of research projects on renewing technologies and machines used in agriculture. 

“Yanmar Agriculture Research Institute Vietnam” and “Centre for Advanced Technology Research and Renovation” are standout cooperative models that have shown their significant roles in increasing productivity and reducing costs and post-harvest loss in the agricultural sector in the Mekong Delta, he noted.

Regarding a Japan-funded project to upgrade Can Tho University, Prof. Dr. Tsunoda Manabu, senior consultant of the project, said that Japan will support the Vietnamese university in bettering its capacity in training, scientific research and technology transfer in agriculture and environment.

Mentioning opportunities and challenges for Vietnam’s exports of farm produce and aquatic products to Japan when the Vietnam-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (VJEPA) takes effect, Dr. Pham Thi Bach Tuyet from Saigon University said that Vietnamese firms will enjoy preferential tax lines but they need to improve quality and product brands to gain firm foothold in this fastidious market.

On tourism, Nguyen Nguyen Phong from Ho Chi Minh City Open University laid stress on the “farmtrip” model, saying that it is favoured by many Japanese tourists who are fond of environmentally friendly tourism and working during their trips.

Deputy FM meets with Vietnamese expats in Germany

Permanent Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son (C) visits booths at the Dong Xuan commercial centre 

Permanent Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son met with representatives from the Vietnamese community, enterprises, and associations of Vietnam in Berlin on November 2 as part of his working visit to Germany. 

Vietnam Ambassador to Germany Doan Xuan Hung briefed the Deputy FM on the business activities of overseas Vietnamese in Dong Xuan commercial centre.

After visiting booths at the centre, Deputy FM Son expressed his pleasure at strong development and effective integration of Vietnamese expats in Germany. 

He also appreciated contributions of OVs living and working in Germany to the homeland.

The relations between Vietnam and Germany have been improved gradually, he said, affirming that foreign ministries of Vietnam and Germany are making every effort to further strengthen bilateral cooperation. 

Previously, the Vietnamese official held talks with Andreas Michaelis, State Secretary of the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, and visited the Vietnamese Embassy in the European country.

Poland’s 100th Independence Day marked in Hanoi

The Vietnam-Poland Friendship Association on November 4 organised a ceremony to mark the 100th anniversary of Polish Independence Day (November 11).

Chairman of the association Pham Khoi Nguyen said that Vietnam and Poland share a number of similarities in history, love for peace, and sacrifice for national independence and sovereignty. 

More than 4,000 Vietnamese youths once went to study in Poland and came back home to build the nation, he said, adding that they have served as a bridge to promote the Vietnam-Poland friendship.

Currently, Poland grants some 20 scholarships to excellent Vietnamese students each year, most of which are in philosophy, health care, geology, technology, agriculture, information and technology, and graphics, among others, he underlined.

Polish Ambassador to Vietnam Wojciech Gerwel, for his part, stressed that the Independence Day is a great honour of the Polish people as they regained freedom and preserve their own culture, language and tradition after years of struggle.

He took the occasion to thank Vietnamese friends for bridging two cultures, thus contributing to enhancing mutual understanding and bolstering the friendship between the two nations. He expressed his belief that the traditional cooperation with Vietnam will develop in a stronger manner, helping build a prosperous future in each country.

At the event, the Institute of Metallurgy and Material Science of Poland presented the “golden school report” to 55 Vietnamese students who pursued study at the most renowned education facilities in Poland 50 years ago.