EU helps increase power access in rural, mountainous, island areas

At the policy dialogue 

The European Union will help Vietnam achieve the goal of ensuring power access in rural, mountainous and island areas through the Energy Sector Policy Support Programme using the EU’s non-refundable aid. 

Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh said during a policy dialogue held in Hanoi on May 4 on the Programme that 99 percent of Vietnam’s population has been connected to the national grid. The Vietnamese Government aims to provide the remaining 1 percent of population with access to electricity by 2020. 

The 108 million EUR programme aims to enhance sustainable access to energy in Vietnamese rural, mountainous and island areas, while building a more sustainable energy sector via encouraging the efficient use of energy and the consumption of clean and renewable energy. 

Minister Tuan Anh affirmed that Vietnam is shifting to not only clean energy but also a green economy. 

Anh said Vietnam wants to receive technical support in connecting renewable energy sources with the national grid, adding that the country is giving priority to effective energy saving and switching to green economy, but more drastic and synchronous actions are needed in the process. 

The minister also asked for the EU’s assistance in effectively implementing projects regarding high-capacity equipment market, energy services, effective energy saving, smart grids and smart cities. 

EU Delegation representatives said both sides need to further discuss issues such as legal framework, finance, action plans and high-quality workforce training to carry out joint plans. 

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Vietnamese government commits to cutting 8 percent of greenhouse gas emission by 2030. The reduction could be increased to 25 percent if the country receives support in the framework of bilateral and multilateral cooperation with international organisations.

National Park draws visitors to Thua Thien – Hue

Bach Ma Mountain in Thua Thien – Hue province (File Photo)

Bach Ma (White Horse) National Park challenges visitors in stark contrast to the traditionally slow pace of life in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue.

Located some 50km to the south of the old capital city of Hue, Bach Ma prides itself on offering bold expeditions into the forest.

The park is known for its bio-diversity, with more than 1,400 species of fauna and flora spread out across 37,000 hectares and guarded by a mountain peak standing 1,430 metres above sea level.

The beauty of lakes and waterfalls along the trail, which attracts avid trekkers, has helped attracted travellers from far and wide to the park.

The adventure starts gently at a two-storeyed roundhouse known as Vong Hai Dai, which acts as a viewing point and rest-stop.

The trail then winds past five pristine lakes and waterfalls.

Three kilometres down, travellers reach the starting point to the first lake. The 7km trek involves a steep descent down concrete steps and uneven rocks, with trees surrounding the narrow paths to shield the trekkers from the harsh central sun.

At the third and largest lake, they can take a break for lunch and a swim.

Thua Thien-Hue announces tourism identification logo

Logo and slogan of Thua Thien - Hue tourism 

The central province of Thua Thien – Hue held a ceremony on May 4 to announce its tourism identification logo. 

Speaking at the event, Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Tourism said the logo comprises a corner of Five-Phoenix Pavilion, several spans of Trang Tien bridge, and the external circle as a rising sun. 

The logo, mostly in purple and red colour, is designed by Nguyen Thien Duc and Nguyen Phu Duc. 

Tourism is considered a spearhead economy of the province with the tour “Hue – One Destination, Five Heritages”. In the four months this year, Thua Thien – Hue welcomed more than 1.5 million visitors, up 40 percent annually. Of them, over 600,000 were foreigners, up 70 percent. 

In particular, over 400,000 arrived in the province during the freshly concluded Hue Festival 2018, half of them were foreigners. 

This year, the provincial tourism sector strives to serve 4 – 4.2 million tourists, marking a 10-12 percent increase year-on-year, 40 – 45 percent of them were foreigners. Those staying overnight reached 2.1 – 2.2 million, up 17-19 percent, bringing nearly 4 – 4.2 trillion VND (177.7 – 186.7 million USD) to the local State budget.

Hue city was the imperial capital of Vietnam for hundreds of years. It is home to five UNESCO-recognised heritages, namely the Hue ancient citadel relic complex – a World Cultural Heritage site; Nha Nhac (Hue royal court music) - an intangible cultural heritage item; Nguyen Dynasty’s wood blocks – a documentary heritage item; Nguyen Dynasty’s Chau ban (royal administrative documents) – part of the Asia-Pacific Register of UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme; and literature on Hue royal architecture - a documentary heritage.

Bac Kan: Disadvantaged communes get aid to new-style rural building

A concrete rural road built on new-style rural standards in Cam Giang commune, Bach Thong district, Bac Kan. 

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has approved a project to develop new-style rural areas in extremely difficulty and insecurity-prone communes and those meeting less than five new-style rural criteria in the northern mountainous province of Bac Kan from 2018 – 2020.

The project will be carried out in 29 communes in seven districts – Cho Don, Bach Thong, Na Ri, Ngan Son, Cho Moi, Ba Be and Pac Nam. These communes cover a combined area of nearly 133.37 hectares and have a total population of approximately 66,600 people. 

The overall objective of the project is to step by step develop the targeted communes up to the national new-style rural standards between 2016 and 2020; to improve infrastructure for economic development; and to develop agriculture, services and handicraft industry that are suitable to the local conditions. 

It also aims to enhance intellectual standards for the locals and maintain social order and security as an effort to boost economic growth and ensure social welfare for these communes.

By the end of 2020, the project sets to have a commune that meets all new-style rural criteria, 12 communes with 15 – 18 criteria, 13 with 12 – 14 criteria, and three with 9 – 11 criteria. On average, each commune is expected to meet 13.8 percent criteria and none achieves less than nine criteria.

It also targets to raise the per capita income in these communes to 24 million VND per person per year, equivalent to 61.5 percent the province’s average figure.

An Giang’s infertile paddies grow other crops

Growing sesame, green bean, corn, soybean and certain other crops enables farmers to adapt to climate change and ensures a big profit. 

Farmers in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of An Giang switched to growing other crops on 20,000ha of paddy fields during the 2017-18 winter-spring crop, earning big profits and managing to cope with climate change.

The fields are mostly in mountainous areas, and thus far from irrigation sources or infertile.

They grew soy bean, honeydew melon, corn, red chili, vegetables and other crops.

Phạm Công Tạo, one such farmer in Tân Châu District’s Phú Lộc Commune, grew oriental onion in his 4,000 sq.m field and earned a profit of around VNĐ80 million (US$3,500) per crop.

The production cost of planting the onion is higher than rice, but the profits from it are four to six times higher than from rice, he said.

Besides, the switch saves him plenty of water and he does not have to worry about drought, he said.

His field is situated in an area of the commune earmarked for growing vegetables and other crops, which has good roads enabling easy transport of the produce.

In any case, traders come to his farm to buy and harvest the oriental onion by themselves, he said.

Many farmers in Phú Tân District’s Tân Trung Commune are harvesting soybean and reaping a bumper harvest.

The commune’s safe vegetable co-operative team planted 45ha of soybean in the 2017-18 winter-spring crop and has harvested 38ha so far.

Nguyễn Văn Minh, one of the co-operative team members, said he has been instructed in soybean farming by the commune Farmers Association and the Phú Tân District Agriculture and Rural Development Bureau.

His 22,000sq.m soybean field yielded a profit of VNĐ150 million ($6,600) in the 2017-18 winter-spring crop, he said.

Võ Chí Tâm, chairman of the Farmers Association, said to restructure agriculture local authorities have supported farmers in their switch to other crops in recent years.

Many farmers in the commune have shifted to soybean, he said.

Trần Anh Thư, director of the province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the province has been encouraging farmers to grow other crops on infertile rice fields.

Growing sesame, green bean, corn, soybean, and certain other crops enables farmers to adapt to climate change and ensures a big profit, he said.

An Giang plans to have 40,000ha of specialised areas in its city and every district and town for growing vegetables and other crops by 2030.

It plans to develop those areas through a co-operation model to guarantee outlets for farmers and ensure they use advanced farming techniques.

It also plans to improve the quality of co-operatives and co-operative teams in the specialised areas, and prioritise roads and irrigation facilities there.

It will increase the use of advanced techniques such as automatic irrigation in net houses in those areas, with the crops grown to Vietnamese good agricultural practices standards.

The province will also focus on developing small- and medium-sized enterprises that grow vegetables and other crops and tie up with companies that buy their produce. 

Mekong Delta farmers profit from sedge boom

Farmers in Vĩnh Long Province have brought in a good harvest of lác and are earning big profits. - Photo baovinhlong.com.vn

Lác farmers in Vĩnh Long Province’s Vũng Liêm District are enjoying a bumper harvest and high prices.

Lác, a species of sedge used to make mats and other handicraft products, has a yield of 10-15 tonnes per hectare in the district, up a tonne from previous crops.

Traders are buying it at VNĐ15,000 – 18,000 a kilogramme, VNĐ 1,500 – 2,000 higher than during the last crop.

Nguyễn Kim Ba, who has 2,000sq.m of the sedge in Trung Thành Đông Commune, said there is more sunlight this time, creating better conditions for the plant.

As a result, the quality of the lác is also high and traders are keen to buy them, he said.

He has earned a profit of VNĐ10 million (US$440) this time, he said.

Nguyễn Văn Tám, a local trader, said the price of lác is high because supply cannot meet demand.

He buys one to two tonnes daily and sells to mat making villages in other provinces like Tiền Giang and Đồng Tháp. 

More than 1,000 households in Trung Thành Đông Commune have had good incomes after switching to grow lác on their infertile paddy fields.

Lác provides four to five harvests a year and is easy to grow.

The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Vĩnh Long has around 306ha under the crop, mostly in Trung Thành Đông and Thanh Bình communes.

Trung Thành Đông, the district’s largest lác planting area, has 227ha.

Besides providing stable incomes to farmers, the sedge also creates jobs for people who have to harvest, split, dry and spin the plant and weave mats, according to the district Agriculture and Rural Development Bureau.

Huỳnh Văn Vũ, chairman of the Trung Thành Đông People’s Committee, told Thanh Niên (Young People) newspaper that farmers in the commune’s Đại Hòa, Đại Nghĩa and Phú Nông hamlets have converted all infertile paddies into lác fields.

“The profit from lác is six times that from rice.”

The commune has nearly 3,000 people, or 70 per cent of its workforce, whose jobs are related to the crop.  

Labourers earn VNĐ60,000 -70,000 ($2.6 - 3) a day from harvesting, splitting, drying, and spinning it.

The district will encourage farmers to grow lác in zoned areas and saltwater-contaminated areas, according to the bureau.

Authorities would continue to identify buyer companies to guarantee outlets for products made from lác, it added.