Mooncake makers compete for share

The Mid-Autumn Festival is drawing near, and competition among commercial bakeries is heating up over market share in the traditional seasonal treat, the mooncake.

Two types of mooncake are sold – banh deo (sticky cake) and banh nuong (baked cake) – in different sizes and with a variety of fillings.

The second half of the year is busy for commercial bakeries, the time when they expand production and increase their business revenue, said Kinh Do Corporation deputy director Nguyen Xuan Lam.

This year Kinh Do planned to produce about 2,100 tonnes of mooncakes – about the same volume as in 2011, Lam said.

"But for this year, Kinh Do will offer some products of extremely high quality," he said. "They are called Golden Moon."

Bibica General Director Truong Phu Chien also said that this was the time of year that Bibica increased its revenues and profits. He expected that mooncakes would help his company increase its profits in the second half by 30 per cent. The company planned to produce about 525 tonnes of the treats, an increase of 5 per cent against last year, with over 50 varieties.

Smaller bakeries like Huu Nghi and Hai Ha Kotobuki are also striving to expand market.

Hai Ha general director Tran Hong Thanh said his company has targeted a 30-per-cent increase in revenue this season.

The Mid-Autumn Festival this year falls on Sunday, September 30. To ensure food safety for the festival, the Ha Noi People's Committee has instructed relevant agencies to co-ordinate in inspecting food processing facilities and sales vendors. Any violation of food safety regulations would be handled in accordance with the law.

Woman sentenced to death on drug charges

The central province of Quang Tri People's Court yesterday, Sept 5, sentenced a woman to death for trans-national drug trafficking.

Dau Xuan Duyen, 55, a resident of central Nghe An Province's Hung Dung Commune, also had her property seized.

According to testimony, Duyen passed Cau Treo Border Gate in central Ha Tinh Province to order eight cakes of heroin from a Lao woman, which was hidden into two slats of a bed.

Duyen was caught while transporting the bed in the province on August 25, 2011.

Between last May and August, Duyen had managed to transport 18 cakes of heroin and 4,600 tablets of ecstasy.
Bus company to be fined for upping fares

A bus company will be fined for illegally increasing long-distance bus fares, said Trinh Duy Son, deputy head of Transport Department inspectors, in central coastal Ninh Thuan Province yesterday, Sept 5.

Tan Hoang Anh Trading, Service and Transport Company on Monday raised bus fares by 40 per cent for its Phan Rang-Cham Tower-HCM City route without permission from provincial authorities.

The province earlier allowed transport companies to increase fares by 30 per cent during public holidays, but only with their approval.

Human traffickers detained by police

Three teenagers have been held in custody by Ha Noi police for allegedly trafficking two teenage girls to China.

Initial investigations showed that Pham Thi Ha, 17, from Vinh Phuc and Nguyen Van Chien, 18, and Nguyen An Khang, 19, both from Phu Tho, sold two Vietnamese girls to prostitution in China.

One of the victims was able to escape in early 2012 while the other was rescued by police last month.

Households to be relocated from floods

Lao Cai People's Committee has decided to relocate 32 households in Nam Cham and Nam Du villages to a safer place after flash floods and erosion killed seven people and left three missing in the area last Friday.

Committee chairman Nguyen Van Vinh said the province would build new houses for the villagers who have a Dao ethnic background.

Locals in Lao Cai Province have donated VND200 million (US$9,500), 1,000kg of rice, clothes and instant noodles to help the victims.

Fishermen rescued after boat stranded

A fishing vessel with 10 fishermen in central Quang Ngai Province yesterday landed safely after more than a day adrift near the Hoang Sa (Paracel) Archipelago, border soldiers said.

The vessel, owned by skipper Ngo Van Be, of the province's Binh Chau Commune, left Sa Ky Port on Tuesday and his engine broke down in bad weather and rough seas more than 40 miles away from the port.

The vessel was found by two local fishing boats following distress calls.

Japan helps upgrade healthcare, education facilities

The Japan Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City on September 5 signed contracts offering non-refundable aid to three projects with a total capital of over US$337,000, to upgrade healthcare and education facilities in the provinces of Lam Dong, Ninh Thuan and Tien Giang.

Of the capital, US$112,000 will be used to buy equipment for the healthcare centre of Dam Rong district in Lam Dong province, which is expected to help increase the centre’s capacity by 50 percent, thus improving healthcare conditions for local people, especially those from ethnic minority groups.

The Eye Centre of Ninh Thuan province will receive more than US$106,000, while My Thanh Nam 1 Primary School in Cai Lay district of Tien Giang province will get US$119,000 to build six new classrooms and improve its drainage system.

Japanese Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Haramitsu Hida said he hopes the projects will be well operated and maintained so as to produce best effect.

Regional meeting reviews ITC cooperation

The Special ASEAN Telecommunications Senior Officials Meeting was opened in Hanoi on September 5 to review information technology and communication (ITC) cooperation in the region.

Co-organised by the Ministry of Information and Communications and the ASEAN Secretariat, the event, which will run until September 7, will discuss proposals and issues in the field as well as the progress of cooperation projects, and suggest new projects.

Along with the cooperation among the ASEAN member countries, participating officials will focus on cooperation projects between the association and its dialogue partners, including India, Japan and the EU.

Besides, they will also make preparations for the ASEAN Telecommunication and IT Ministers’ Meeting to be held in the Philippines in November.

Addressing the opening session, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Le Nam Thang said despite significant achievements, ASEAN’s information and communication sector still faces serious challenges as many people in rural areas have got limited access to information technology services.

There remained a lot of things to do for ASEAN member countries to catch up with the global development speed. Therefore, in order to form an ASEAN information and communication technology community, the association is striving to realise its overall programme to 2015, said Thang.

VNN/VOV/VNS/VNA