CNN Travel has included banh mi (Vietnamese baguettes) among its top 24 sandwiches in the world in 2023.

According to the website, Banh mi can be easily found at street vendors and food carts everywhere. This is not only a popular breakfast/lunch/dinner to Vietnamese people, but also well-known and beloved by many foreign visitors.

It is regularly ranked in the list of delicious dishes that foreign tourists must try when visiting Vietnam.

CNN said the classic version is pork-based, starring cha lua (Vietnamese-style pork roll), shredded pickled carrots, pickled daikon, cilantro leaves, mayonnaise and other ingredients. Depending on the region, travelers can taste different kinds of banh mi with various fillings. "The taste is crunchy, fresh, savory, and utterly delicious," CNN said.

The criteria for CNN’s list are being a famous sandwich that represents a country, having a delicious taste and being loved by locals.

Besides banh mi, three other Asian representatives were Shawarma and Falafel pita sandwiches (Middle East) and Katsu sando (Japanese fried pork cutlet sandwich with shredded cabbage).

Top Chinese leader Xi Jinping invited to visit Vietnam this year

General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and State President Xi Jinping has been invited to visit Vietnam this year to mark 15 years of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Vietnam and China.

General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and State President Xi Jinping hosts a reception for a Vietnamese delegation led by Politburo member of the Communist Party of Vietnam Truong Thi Mai in Beijing on April 26.

Truong Thi Mai, Politburo member, permanent member of the Communist party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee’s Secretariat, extended the invitations from CPV General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and State President Vo Van Thuong, to Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping at their meeting in Beijing on April 26.

Mai, who is also head of the committee’s Organisation Commission, is in Beijing for an official visit to China from April 25 to 28.

At the meeting, she said her visit aims to realise important common perceptions reached by senior leaders of the two Parties and countries, particularly the contents of the Joint Statement on further promoting and deepening the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Vietnam and China reached during the China visit by Party General Secretary Trong last year.

Vietnam always treasures and gives top priority to the development of its relationship with China based on the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation, development, multilateralisation and diversification of relations, she told her host.

Xi, for his part, extended his greetings to senior Vietnamese leaders, and stressed that the Chinese Party and State attach importance to ties between the two Parties and States.

The Chinese Party and State stay ready to foster friendship, political trust and solidarity between the two nations, toward deepening bilateral cooperation in a practical and effective manner, affirmed Xi. 

Also the same day, Mai held talks with Cai Qi, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau, Secretary of the CCP Central Committee’s Secretariat and Director of the CCP Central Committee’s General Office, discussing orientations to future cooperation in various areas.

Both sides agreed to enhance political trust through increasing high-level exchanges and improving the effectiveness of cooperation mechanisms, resolving disagreements and differences satisfactorily. They also pledged to step up substantial progress in cooperative areas, with a focus on reinforcing balanced and sustainable economic cooperation. They consented to strengthen national defence-security cooperation while increasing people-to-people and locality-to-locality exchanges.

Mai also held a working session with Li Ganjie, Politburo member, Secretary of the CCP Central Committee’s Secretariat and head of the CCP Central Committee’s Organisation Commission.

They two sides signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the two organisation commissions.

Vietnam to attend international book fair in Malaysia

An array of Vietnamese books will be introduced at the Kuala Lumpur international book fair in Malaysia which will run from April 30 to June 1.

A number of Vietnamese books will be showcased at the Vietnamese booth, including the national geography of the Nguyen Dynasty (1820-1884) Hoang Viet Nhat Thong Du Dia Chi, which won the highest prize of Vietnam National Book Awards 2022; an art book written on bamboo paper Thien trong tung phut giay (Every-minute zen); and the Chinh phu ngam (Lament of the soldier's wife).

Talented soloist performs world-renowned works in Hanoi

Talented bassoonist Van Thanh Ha will present world-renowned works to classical music lovers in the capital city in a concert on April 28 at the Hanoi Opera House, the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra has announced.

The concert will see other artists of the orchestra and German conductor Jonas Alber.

The bassoonist will solo the concerto for basson in F major, Op.75 by composer Carl Maria von Weber. This work was composed in 1811 and perfected in 1822. It is the most frequently performed in the trumpet repertoire. The concerto comprises three chapters.

Activities to attract tourists during upcoming holiday

Cities and provinces nationwide are offering various tours and activities to attract visitors during the upcoming five-day holiday on the occasion of the Southern Liberation and National Reunification Day (April 30) and International May Day (May 1).

Apart from night tours of Thang Long Imperial Citadel, Hoa Lo prison relic site, Literature Museum and night pedestrian streets in the capital city of Hanoi, many new tours have been introduced such as cultural and spiritual tourism combined with health care in outlying Soc Son district, Bac Co - rice flower season at the National History Museum, returning to the ancient Vietnamese capital at the Co Loa citadel relic, and heritage journey at Thang Long Imperial Citadel and Bat Trang pottery village.

In the northern port city of Hai Phong, food tour has become a booming trend on the social media, attracting many domestic and foreign tourists, especially young people.

Visitors to the city could join the Red Flamboyant Flower Festival 2023 themed “Hai Phong – Shining at estuary of the sea” from May 12-14. For the first time, the Vietnam Sea and Island Folklore Festival will be held from April 28-29 with a series of scientific, sports, and cultural events.

This year, the northern province of Quang Ninh plans to launch 38 new tourism products, including the "Night Cruise Street", sailing and music on Ha Long Bay, or walking along the night and pedestrian street around Long Tien Pagoda area in Ha Long City.

Bai Tho mountain is also reopened for tourists to experience mountain climbing, discover cultural and historical values, and check in to admire the unique beauty of Ha Long Bay and Ha Long city from above. The Ha Long Carnival Festival 2023 will get underway with many new features, promising to be a lively and colourful destination.

Localities in Quang Ninh are also launching new unique products such as the Van Don Orange Week and two pedestrian roads in Minh Chau and Quan Lan districts, camping on Ba Chau beach, Thanh Lan island, and tours of islands near the coast in Co To island district, with the first-time snorkeling to see coral reefs in Thanh Lan island commune.

The Da Nang beach tourism season 2023 will take place in the central city of Da Nang from April 28 – May 3 with various music performances, kite flying, food tasting and sport festivals.

Similar events are also scheduled in Binh Thuan, Ninh Thuan, Lam Dong, Quang Tri, Can Tho.

The Hung Kings Temple Festival, part of the Ancestral Land Culture and Tourism Week, will be held from April 20-29 in districts and townships of northern Phu Tho province, offering tourists an opportunity to experience the rituals of worshiping the legendary founders of the nation and explore unique tourism products associated with culture of the ancestral land.

On the occasion, the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage week, an international conference on tourism, culture, heritage and sustainable development of Vietnam, the Northwest Tourism Fair 2023, and the ancestral land culinary culture festival are also planned.

Japan helps promote economic empowerment for Lai Chau’s young ethnic people

A project on economic empowerment for young ethnic minority people in the northern mountainous province of Lai Chau has had many activities to create livelihoods, promote gender equality, and facilitate youth development after two years of implementation.

The information was revealed at a conference on April 26 to launch the third implementation year of the project, sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Plan International Japan.

The project is located in Phong Tho district, with investments of 3.1 billion VND (132,000 USD) for the first year (March 2021-February 2022), and 4.9 billion VND for the second (March 2022-February 2023).

Meanwhile, an additional 3.5 billion VND will be used for the third year from March 2023 to February 2024, with a focus on building a facility and supporting equipment for a community learning centre in Dao San commune; and organising training on cultivation, animal husbandry, business administration in food processing for youth union members.

Exhibition at imperial citadel marks 48th national reunification anniversary

The Thang Long - Hanoi Heritage Conservation Centre has opened an exhibition to celebrate the 48th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day (April 30, 1975).

The event displays nearly 200 outstanding documents and items spotlighting the role of the general headquarters of the Vietnam People’s Army, based at House and Tunnel D67 at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel, in the General Offensive and Uprising in the spring of 1975.

It also emphasises the flexible and timely directions issued by Party, State, and Defence Ministry leaders in the most important moments of the revolution in the South, and that those decisions created a considerable force and strength for the revolution to achieve the complete victory and the country to be reunified.

Visitors can also scan a QR code to access virtual information on the events and 24 late officials who were Politburo members of the third-tenure Vietnam Workers’ Party Central Committee. There are also permanent members of the Central Military Commission, leaders and commanders on battlefields, and some others attending the expanded Politburo conference from December 18, 1974 to January 8, 1975, which laid the decisive foundation for the liberation of the South in the spring of 1975.

House and Tunnel D67 is an important revolutionary relic site. From 1968 to 1975, this place served as the general headquarters of the Vietnam People’s Army and the venue of many secret meetings of the Politburo and the Central Military Commission, which made a number of strategic decisions on the revolution in the South.

In particular, from late 1974, grasping changes in the southern battlefield situation, the Politburo issued timely strategic and key directions. Within about 75 days, from January 8 to March 25, 1975, it changed the strategic policy thrice, from “liberating the South in 1975 and 1976” to “liberating the south in 1975” and finally “liberating the South before the rainy season of 1975”. Those flexible, creative, and timely directions mobilised the combined strength of the entire nation for the complete victory of the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign that liberated the South and reunified Vietnam.

2023 Nha Trang-Khanh Hoa Sea Festival expected to lure 100,000 visitors

The 2023 Nha Trang-Khanh Hoa Sea Festival in the south central province of Khanh Hoa will take place from June 3-6 with more than 60 events, organisers said at a press conference in Hanoi on April 26.

The opening night on June 3 will feature a light show featuring drones that reenact stories about the history, culture and people of Khanh Hoa.

Programmes and activities held in the framework of the festival, including street festivals, a Vespa parade, art performances, sports competitions, tourism promotion events as well as scientific and educational seminars. The province is expected to attract 100,000 visitors during the festival.

Nha Trang-Khanh Hoa Sea Festival is held every two years and has become a trademark of the beach resort city since 2003. In 2021, the festival was suspended due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Conference reviews implementation of national cyber security and safety strategy

A conference on guiding the launch and evaluation of the implementation of the national cyber security and safety strategy was held in Ha Long city of the northern province of Quang Ninh on April 26 by the Authority of Information Security under the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) and the Departments of Information and Communications of provinces and cities.

According to the authority, cyber attacks in Vietnam mainly target servers to gain access, and steal passwords, and data. Computer viruses cause economic loss of 21.2 trillion VND (nearly 903 million USD) in the country last year.

The MIC coordinated with relevant agencies to organise three national-scale exercises on ensuring cyber security in the year. The authority directly prevented more than 3,600 fraudulent websites, contributing to protecting nearly 4 million people, equivalent to 6% of internet users.

The authorities have handled 76 websites distributing malware and blocked connections to 915 IP addresses of computers in virus-infected computer networks (IP Botnet).

Tran Dang Khoa, Deputy Director of the Authority of Information Security, said that ensuring cyber security and safety are the key tasks in the digital transformation process, and are important pillars in establishing digital trust and promoting prosperity in the digital era.

He underlined the necessity to invest in cyber security, saying that this helps promote sustainable development and create value.

The agency needs to maintain and enhance the effectiveness of the "4-layer" information security assurance model, focusing on monitoring and professionally protecting, and connecting and sharing information with the national monitoring system; training and updating technical personnel on knowledge and skills of information security; and taking anti-malware solutions.

At the event, participants proposed measures to promote the implementation of the strategy.

Vietnam’s U20s to compete at 19th Asian Games

The national U20 men’s football team are set to represent Vietnam at the 19th Asian Games (ASIAD 19) which is scheduled to run from September 23 to October 8 in Hangzhou, China.  

The decision was made by the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) at a VFF conference in Hanoi on April 26.

According to the VFF, Vietnam’s U23s are now preparing for the 32nd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) in Cambodia this May, and the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers due to take place in September. Therefore, the U20 team have been selected to take part in other regional tournaments.

In the past the Vietnam Olympic team defeated Bahrain 1-0 in the last 16 of the men’s football at the Asian Games (ASIAD) 2018 in Indonesia, marking the first time that Vietnam had entered the event’s quarter-final stage. 

Football at the ASIAD 19 in Hangzhou, China, will be held from September 19 to October 7 this year. Furthermore, Vietnam’s U20s will partake in the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) U23 Championship 2024 which has yet to be scheduled.

Key riverside road links tourism traffic system

One more riverside traffic route – the Tuyên Sơn-Túy Loan – has been added to the central city’s tourism ring-road system to boost smooth connections between destinations.

The city said the 7km route, which was built for VNĐ745 billion (US$29.8 million), runs along Cẩm Lệ and Túy Loan rivers to link destinations in Liên Chiểu District, Thuận Phước, East Bạch Đằng and beach tourism sites in Sơn Trà Peninsula, Hội An and national road systems.

The two-lane 10.5m wide route will offer more convenient traffic for commuters and buses in transporting travellers on the trans-Việt Nam to the city and world heritages sites in the central region.

Also, on the occasion of the country’s Reunification Day and May Day vacation (April 30 - May 1), the city debuted the expansion project of the Đà Nẵng Monument and the March 29 Square.

A series of ring-road systems had been used in setting up entrance connection with the newly inaugurated Tuyên Sơn-Túy Loan river-ring road, including coastal Nguyễn Tất Thành Street and the Hải Vân Tunnel-Túy Loan Ring-road; the Hòa Phước-Hòa Khương and La Sơn-Túy Loan Expressway in the northwest.

Đà Nẵng has been investing much in urban development to make it a ‘green’ and ‘smart’ city by 2025.

Masking, disinfection recommended during holiday amid COVID-19 spike

The implementation of COVID-19 prevention measures – masking and disinfecting – should be done regularly and continuously during the upcoming five-day holiday, health officials have recommended amid a rise in infections in the country.

Professor Phan Trọng Lân, Director of the Health Ministry's Department of Preventive Medicine, said at a conference by the health ministry with local authorities that COVID-19 has a resurgence in Việt Nam, with increasing daily cases.

Two deaths from the virus have been recorded recently, the first in nearly four months, including a patient with underlying diseases who was not vaccinated against COVID-19.

In Việt Nam, more than 266 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered so far. However, some provinces and cities still have not caught up with booster shots for people over 18 years old and children between five and 12 years old.

The authorities have requested localities accelerate vaccination for people in high-risk groups to protect these subjects.

Professor Lân suggested that localities need to increase pandemic surveillance during the holiday. After a few years of travel restrictions caused by the pandemic, demand for travel is expected to be quite high, which results in elevated risks of disease spreading.

Furthermore, the local health sector must continue coordinating with the education authorities to ensure pandemic prevention in schools, as many will start final exams after the holiday.

Lân also suggested that the Pasteur Institutes and the regional branches of the Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology work with the provinces and cities to strengthen the monitoring and evaluation of hospitalised and severe cases, which will provide data to inform the public about the outbreak situation and urge further vaccinations.

At the same time, the institutes will need to step up sampling and genetic sequencing of case samples to keep a close watch on variants of coronavirus circulating in the community.

Regarding vaccination against COVID-19, Lân stated that the population has high vaccination rates, and the vaccine is still effective against the Omicron variant. However, it is recommended that localities publicly announce and update vaccination sites so that people can easily access them.

Localities need to manage non-communicable diseases in the community and medical facilities to reduce pressure when dealing with people with underlying medical conditions that have COVID-19.

Provinces and cities should promptly update local pandemic assessment levels to take appropriate measures to prevent and control serious outbreaks. 

No fee for three component projects of North-South expressway

Drivers will not have to pay tolls on three North-South expressway component projects when they are put into use in the coming days.

These projects are the Mai Sơn-National Highway 45, Phan Thiết-Dầu Giây and Vĩnh Hảo-Phan Thiết, which have a total length of 260km, said Uông Việt Dũng, Chief of Office of the Ministry of Transport.

The Mai Sơn-National Highway 45 and Phan Thiết-Dầu Giây section are expected open for use on April 29. 

The Vĩnh Hảo-Phan Thiết expressway is scheduled to be put into operation on May 19.

Although motorists can enjoy toll-free driving when it first opens, to ensure the construction investment funds for key traffic works, the Government will collect tolls for the above expressways in the future, according to Dũng.

Currently, the Government is directing ministries and agencies to complete reports on toll collection plans for State-funded expressways to submit to the National Assembly, he said.

The Mai Sơn-National Highway 45 project has a total length of 63.37km crossing the provinces of Ninh Bình and Thanh Hóa.

The 99km Phan Thiết – Dầu Giây Expressway is an eastern section of the North-South Expressway, which begins at National Highway 1A in Bình Thuận Province and ends at the HCM City – Long Thành – Dầu Giây Expressway in Đồng Nai Province.

Vĩnh Hảo-Phan Thiết expressway has a total length of 100.8km and passes through four districts in Bình Thuận province.

After being put into use, the Mai Sơn-National Highway 45 expressway allows travelling at a maximum speed of 80km per hour and 120km per hour for Phan Thiết - Dầu Giây expressway. 

The North-South expressway is a key national project that prioritises investment in the 2017- 2020 period and consists of 11 sub-projects.

The North-South expressway goes through 32 provinces and cities, connecting four key economic regions, including two major economic centres - Hà Nội and HCM City. 

ACV fined VNĐ270 million for causing air pollution at Long Thành Airport's construction site

The Airports Corporation of Việt Nam (ACV) has been fined VNĐ270 million (US$11,250) for causing air pollution around Long Thành Airport’s construction site.

Lê Vũ Tuấn Anh, MONRE's chief inspector, said ACV has improperly or incompletely implemented regulations mentioned in the environmental impact assessment report.

ACV has neither arranged temporary reservoirs to store rainwater nor built a system of rainwater drainage ditches during the construction process, nor has it built reinforced embankment and sedimentation ponds.

It does not regularly spray water around the construction site, increasing dust in the surrounding environment.

ACV has been punished for causing air pollution with dust levels exceeding five to ten times the standard level.

According to the MONRE, as Long Thành Airport is a national key project and it is necessary to speed up the progress, the construction suspension will be applied.

Construction suspension will not reduce dust pollution but also increase the pollution risk from the 2,500ha levelled ground area.

The MONRE inspectors asked ACV to reduce dust with suggested solutions like watering, especially during peak hours when it is dry, hot, and windy; reducing construction intensity at peak hours; growing grass; completing the installation of reservoirs.

Cultural and tourism festival opens in Ca Mau

The cultural and tourism festival Hương Rừng Cà Mau (The Forest Flavour of Cà Mau), opened in the southernmost province of Cà Mau’s U Minh District on Wednesday.

The event is part of the province’s Cà Mau-Destination 2023 Programme with a range of tourism, trade and entertainment activities throughout the year to lure domestic and foreign visitors.

The five-day festival celebrates the country’s Reunification Day on April 30.

It features dozens of economic, cultural and sports activities to promote local culture, tourism, and the economy.

It includes a trade fair with 80 stalls displaying specialties from Cà Mau and neighbouring provinces such as Bạc Liêu, Trà Vinh and Sóc Trăng.

Food courts introducing traditional dishes and fruits from local farms are also included.

The festival also includes traditional music and song, and dance shows featuring hundreds of performers from leading art troupes of Cà Mau and other provinces in the region.

Folk games, cooking and sports competitions are also featured.

The Cà Mau-Destination 2023 Programme is aimed at boosting cooperation in trade and tourism with other cities and provinces and developing tourism as well as trade and services.

Since its inception in 2021, the programme has promoted Cà Mau as a unique and alluring destination, according to the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Last year, the programme attracted 160,000 visitors and generated revenue of VNĐ108 billion (US$4.57 million).

Almost 2,000 people join HCMC metro test run

The third test run of Metro Line No.1, which links Ben Thanh Market and Suoi Tien Theme Park, attracted roughly 2,000 people on April 26.

The trial was jointly held by HCMC’s Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR) and Japan’s Hitachi, the metro project’s constructor, for its static and dynamic testing.

In the trial, there were six rides, with each handling 300 passengers.

It took the 61-meter train around 20 minutes to travel on a 12-kilometer section through eight stations between Suoi Tien Theme Park and An Phu Depot, Thu Duc City.

According to MAUR, the Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien rail line is currently 95% complete.

The urban railway, which started construction in 2012 with a total cost of over VND43.7 trillion, is expected to be put into service by the end of this year.

Hanoi ward vows to ban parking on pavements

Hoang Liet Ward in Hanoi’s Hoang Mai District will take drastic measures to deal with pavement encroachment, including illegal parking.

Pavements in Hoang Mai District have been used for business activities and many pavements have become illegal parking areas.

Luu Bach Kiem, 61, a local resident, said most of the pavements around Linh Dam Lake have been encroached used for parking every day so he has to walk on the road. In many cases, cars are double parked, affecting traffic. 

Illegal parking and business services on the pavement are even more rampant in the area near the densely-populated HH Linh Dam Apartment Complex, particularly on Nguyen Phan Chanh Street.

Authorities in Hoang Liet Ward have planned to use stakes and draw lines to mark prohibited pavements on local streets next week.

The ward has proposed Hoang Mai District licence more parking lots.

HH Linh Dam Complex is home to 12 apartment buildings with a total of around 9,000 apartments. The area’s total population is 37,000 people. This is one of the most densely populated areas in Hanoi, but the apartment buildings lack sufficient parking space for cars.

Trial run continues on HCM City's first metro line
 
The HCM City Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR) conducted a trial run on the elevated section of Metro Line 1 Ben Thanh- Suoi Tien route on Wednesday afternoon.

The test run on the 12.30-kilometre section from Suoi Tien Station to An Phu Station was the fifth trial conducted so far.

According to MAUR, there would be three more test runs before the line is officially put into operation. During this pilot operation, trains will run slower than 50 kilometres per hour compared with the designed speed of 110 kilometres per hour for safety reasons.

The last test run was conducted in late January and focused on checking the operation of the line’s automatic train protection system, in addition to continuing the testing of the power supply source and the rail system.

During a trial run carried out last December, a train with three carriages safely ran along a nine-kilometre section along the elevated track at 40 kilometres per hour.

The line has 17 Japanese-made trains which can run up to 110 kilometres per hour above ground and 80 kilometres per hour underground.

Each metro train can accommodate 930 passengers, including 147 sitting and 783 standing.

The city’s first metro line runs 19.70 kilometres, including 2.60 kilometres of underground and 17.1 kilometres of elevated track.

It runs from Ben Thanh Market in District 1 to Suoi Tien Theme Park in Thu Duc City through three underground stations and 11 stops above ground.

Construction on the Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien line started in late 2012 with a total investment of VND43,700 billion, most of which was sourced from Japanese official development assistance loans. This was the first among eight urban metro projects for the southern metropolis.

Japanese pottery exhibition comes to Thua Thien – Hue

After its success in Hanoi, the Japanese pottery exhibition themed “Yakishime - Earth Metamorphosis” came to the central province of Thua Thien- Hue on April 27.

The event is jointly organised by the Japan Foundation Centre for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam, the Hue Fine Arts Museum, and the Thua Thien-Hue province's Vietnam – Japan Friendship Association.

Doi Katsuma, director of the centre, said that it is hoped that through experiencing Yakishime ceramic products, the Vietnamese public will know more about the diversity and creativity of the Japanese culture.

The exhibition, which runs until May 14, introduces the ceramics technique yakishime which fires unglazed wares at high temperatures. One of the most basic means of producing ceramics, Yakishime has been developed in numerous distinctive directions in Japan.

The display aims to introduce local people to the Japanese culture by examining Yakishime from the earliest examples to contemporary works.

Phan Thanh Hai, Director of Thua Thien- Hue Department of Culture and Sports, said that the exhibition takes place under the umbrella of the Thue Thien- Hue’s 9th traditional craft festival towards the 50th anniversary of diplomatic establishment relations between Vietnam and Japan.

Yakishime dates back to the fourth or fifth century. However, it was not until the 12th century through to the 17th century that the technique became firmly established and was used in a significant portion of the production of major ceramic centres in Japan, including Bizen, Shigaraki, and Tokoname.

Source: VNA/SGT/VNS/VOV/Dtinews/SGGP/VGP/Hanoitimes