At the event

The third Vietnam Young Talent Congress opened in Hanoi on December 13, with the attendance of 400 delegates.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, First Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCYU) Central Committee Nguyen Anh Tuan said over the past five years, over 1.1 million outstanding young people and teenagers have been commended and honoured by the HCYU, associations and organisations.

He hoped that the congress would gather young talents at home and abroad to fulfill the aspiration for national construction and development.

President of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics Nguyen Xuan Thang lauded the HCYU Central Committee for holding effective activities to expand the network of young talents worldwide, contributing to national development in the new period.

He hailed 400 young talents for dedicating their talent and brainpower to the country, thus popularising the images of Vietnam to international friends.

Thang expressed his wish that young Vietnamese people would continue playing a vanguard role in production, study and innovation, creating new values and impetus for the country.

Each person should uphold their sense of national pride, set bright example and take responsibility for their family, community and nation, he said.

The official asked the HCYU Central Committee to continue specifying action programmes to make the most of brainpower of young people.

On the occasion, 20 outstanding individuals representing 400 young delegates at home and abroad were also honoured.

The congress also sent a message to 23 million young Vietnamese people at home and abroad, calling on them to stay united, keep improving themselves and uphold the national spirit./. 

Two new imported COVID-19 cases reported on December 13

A man returning from Japan and a woman from the Republic of Korea (RoK) were the latest new COVID-19 cases reported on December 13, bringing the national count to 1,397, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

The two new imported cases were quarantined in the central city of Da Nang upon their arrival.

The 21-year-old man and the 19-year-old woman returned home on flight VN391 and flight VN431, which landed at Da Nang International Airport on November 28, and December 1, respectively.

Both of them are being treated at the Lung Hospital in Da Nang city.

On the same day, three more people were also announced to have recovered, lifting to the number of recovered cases to 1,241. The number of fatalities remain at 35.
Among those still under treatment, three have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 once, six twice and 10 thrice.

As many as 19,992 people who had close contact with COVID-19 patients or entered Vietnam from pandemic-hit regions are currently quarantined nationwide, including 209 in hospitals, 15,593 in concentrated quarantine establishments and the remainders at their residences./.

Youth ideas for cleaning ocean awarded

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in cooperation with the Cu Lao Cham - Hoi An World Biosphere Reserve held a ceremony on December 11 to award winning teams of the Youth Innovative Ideas for an Ocean without Plastic programme.

The programme, within the framework of the Youth and Innovation 4 Ocean Initiative implemented by UNESCO in partnership with the Coca Cola Foundation, aimed to promote the key role of youth in the sustainable development of Vietnam.

Three teams won the first prizes worth 70 million VND (over 3,000 USD) each to translate their waste collection ideas into reality at the reserve.

Huynh Ngoc Thai Anh from the Green River, one of the three winning team, said the team hopes their idea can be helpful to many people.

Michael Croft, UNESCO Representative to Vietnam, stressed the programme enabled youth to build ideas via science and technology application for a common goal of ocean sustainability in the future.

Nguyen Que Lam, Deputy Director-General of the Vietnam Administration of Seas and Islands, wished these creative ideas will be replicated in contribution to Vietnam’s national action plan on ocean plastic waste and the plan on sustainable development maritime economy.

About 8 million metric tonnes of plastic are discarded into the ocean annually with a significant amount originating in Asia, including Vietnam, UNESCO said. At this rate, by 2050, the ocean is on track to contain more plastic than fish./.

Deputy head of Tan Thuan company prosecuted over land violations

The HCMC investigative police agency has pressed charges against Tran Tan Hai, deputy general director of Tan Thuan Investment and Construction Co Ltd, over the mismanagement of State-owned land, the local media reported.

Three employees of the company – chief accountant Nguyen Thi Ngoc Bich and auditors Nguyen Hoang Viet and Nguyen Xuan Tung – have also been prosecuted for their involvement in the case.

The investigative police agency earlier arrested Tran Cong Thien, former general director of Tan Thuan Company, and Nguyen Van Minh, former chairman of the firm, for violating regulations on the management and use of public assets in January 2020. Thien was also expelled from the Communist Party in June 2018 due to his key role in the improper sale of public land to a private business.

They are involved in the illicit transfer of a 32-hectare plot of land in the outlying district of Nha Be to private property development firm Quoc Cuong Gia Lai by the HCMC Party Committee Office’s Tan Thuan Company in 2017.

Thien was identified as the individual bearing primary responsibility for the management of the company leading to this controversial transfer.

Tan Thuan Company signed a deal on June 5, 2017 to transfer the site to Quoc Cuong Gia Lai at VND1.29 million per square meter, VND478,000 lower than the market price, without reporting the transaction as required. The deal registered a potential loss of over VND150 billion for the State.

Noting that the transfer violated the regulation on public asset management, the Standing Board of the HCMC Party Committee asked Tan Thuan to terminate the deal on December 27, 2017. It was not until mid-2018 that Tan Thuan and Quoc Cuong Gia Lai scrapped their land transfer deal.

The signing of the contract did not comply with Decision No. 1087, dated March 31, 2009, of the HCMC Party Committee’s Standing Board on the management and use of assets and land use rights of one-member companies under the committee. The deal also violated Decree 91/2015 on the management of assets and capital use at State-owned enterprises and Decree 44/2014 on land prices.

Quarantining people arriving from HCMC is unnecessary: minister

It is not necessary to quarantine and take the samples of people arriving from HCMC for Covid-19 testing as the city is not a coronavirus hotspot, Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long told a meeting with the municipal government.

The prime minister had earlier concluded that HCMC was not a Covid-19 hotspot, but only reported four locally transmitted cases, said Long.

Since December 1, the city has reported no community-transmitted Covid-19 cases, Long said and highly valued the city’s efforts in tracing contacts, testing samples, quarantining suspected cases and controlling Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

Minister Long also proposed the municipal government continue to take drastic measures to effectively ward off the virus, the local media reported.

The 1,342nd patient, a Vietnam Airlines flight attendant, who tested positive for the virus in HCMC on November 28, was the source of infection for the 1,347th, 1,348th and 1,349th cases. As such, some provinces ordered the close monitoring of people arriving from the city.

Following the new cases in the city, Quang Binh Province announced that people who stayed in HCMC from November 18 and entered the province would have to make health declarations and be monitored closely. Meanwhile, people arriving from HCMC’s districts 6, 10, Tan Binh and Binh Tan were required to self-isolate at home for 14 days.

Similarly, Quang Nam Province also asked its residents who traveled to the four districts from November 27 to undergo a 14-day quarantine at home or their residences.

Ceremony marks decade of Giong festival as UNESCO heritage of humanity

Ceremony marks decade of Giong festival as UNESCO heritage of humanity hinh anh 1 At the event

A ceremony took place in Hanoi on the evening of December 11 to celebrate 10 years since Vietnam's Giong festival was accredited by the UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Held at the national special relic Phu Dong Temple in outlying Gia Lam district's Phu Dong village, the celebration featured art performances and a display of local traditional products.

Speaking at the event, Nguyen Duc Hong, Vice Chairman of the Gia Lam People’s Committee, said the district will continue its effort to preserve of promote the festival and the temple.

He unveiled the local plan of building Phu Dong village into a tourism destination of the capital city in 2021, focusing on the local key products of eco, agricultural, and cultural tourism.

Giong festival is held annually between the seventh and ninth day of the fourth lunar month to commemorate Saint Giong, a local hero who sacrificed his life to defeat invaders. It is celebrated with processions, rituals and performances.

The Vietnam Culture and Art Sub-Institute said “The festival follows a format written in an ancient book called Hoi Le (Festival Regulations), which was passed down through the generations.”

The main day of the event is the last day of the festival, when flags are carried from the Mother Temple to the Upper Temple and sacrifices are made. People perform ritual dances and songs, while battles against the invaders are re-enacted.

In 2010, UNESCO recognised Vietnam’s Giong festival held at Phu Dong Temple and at Soc Temple in Hanoi’s Soc Son district as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The recognition of UNESCO has led to a series of research on its cultural and historical values as well as the promotion of the heritage on the media. Nearly 72 billion VND (3.1 million USD) have been invested on restoring the Phu Dong Temple and building necessary infrastructure serving the festival in Gia Lam./.

Entrance fee to Cu Chi Tunnels to increase to VND35,000

The fee to enter the Cu Chi Tunnels, one of the most well known tourist attractions in HCMC, will increase from the current VND20,000 to VND35,000 per adult from January 1, 2021, following a resolution passed by the HCMC People’s Council on adjusting the historical site’s entrance fee at a meeting on December 9.

People with disabilities, children under seven years of age and those serving in the armed forces are entitled to free admission, while poor people, students and those between seven and 16 years of age can enjoy a 50% discount on the entrance fee.

Explaining the rise in the entrance fee at the Cu Chi Tunnels, the HCMC People’s Council said this would help increase revenue, resulting in better conservation at the historical site.

The decision on the increase is also in line with the inflation rate and has been taken after checking the entrance fees at other attractions such as the Ngoc Son Temple and the Hoa Lo Prison.

Cu Chi Tunnels, some 70 kilometers northwest of HCMC downtown, is a complex of more than 200 kilometers of underground tunnels that served as hospitals, hideouts and shelters during the wartime.

The tunnels were dug with simple tools and bare hands during the French occupation in the 1940s and were further expanded during the American War in Vietnam in the 1960s to provide shelters and a defensive advantage over the American soldiers.

The site was recognized as a national special relic site by the prime minister in 2015. It is visited by over one million tourists every year.

VFF leader pays visit to Nam Dinh’s Bui Chu diocese ahead of Christmas

Bui Chu Church in Nam Dinh

President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Tran Thanh Man on December 12 visited and extended best Christmas wishes to Catholic dignitaries and followers of the Bui Chu diocese in Xuan Truong district, the northern province of Nam Dinh.

He informed Bishop Vu Dinh Hieu of the country’s socio-economic situation and achievements in 2020.

Despite impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam is among few countries enjoying positive economic growth, Man said, adding that the achievement is thanks to the sound leadership of the Party and the unity of people from all walks of life, including Catholics.

He expressed his hope that Bishop Hieu and other dignitaries will continue encouraging local Catholics to strictly follow the Party and State’s policies, and actively participate in movements and campaigns so as to contribute more to the locality’s socio-economic development.

Bishop Vu Dinh Hieu, for his part, thanked leaders from the Party, State, VFF, socio-political organisations and local authority for facilitating the Catholic community’s religious activities.

Nam Dinh province is home to nearly 600 churches, 140 parishes, and a community of more than 470,000 Catholic followers, accounting for over 20 percent of the province’s population./.

More Vietnamese citizens brought home from Angola, Myanmar

Vietnamese citizens conduct procedures at airport - Illustrative image

Nearly 350 Vietnamese citizens were flown home from Angola on December 12 on a Vietnam Airlines flight.

The flight was arranged by the Vietnamese authorities, the Vietnamese Embassy in Angola, the national flag carrier, and authorities in the host nation.

Passengers on board include children under 18 years old, labourers with expired contracts and people in extremely difficult circumstances.

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, disease prevention measures were strictly carried out during the flight. Upon landing at Van Don International Airport in northern Quang Ninh province, the flight crew and all passengers were given health check-ups and quarantined.

On the same day, a Vietjet Air flight landed at Can Tho International Airport in the Mekong Delta city of same name, taking more than 340 Vietnamese citizens in Myanmar back home.

Upon arrival, crew members and all passengers were given health check and quarantined as regulated./.

Teleconference reviews 10 years implementing rural development project

A national teleconference took place on December 12 to review outcomes of the 10-year implemenation of the Party Central Committee Secretariat’s Conclusion 61 and the Prime Minister’s Decision 673 on rural development.

Conclusion 61, issued on December 3, 2009, focuses on a project on improving the role and responsibility of the Vietnam Farmers’ Union (VFU) in the development of agriculture, new-style rural area building and the building of Vietnamese farmer class for 2010-2020. Decision 673 was issued on May 10, 2011, covering the VFU’s direct implementation of and collaboration to run a number of rural socio-economic and cultural development programmes and projects for 2011 – 2020.

Delivering a report at the event, VFU Chairman Thao Xuan Sung said the two documents have been an important resources for the VFU to effectively orgaise activities for agricultural growth, rural economic restruturing, human resources improvement, new-style rural building, and poverty reduction, and better living standards among others.  

The entire nation now has 27,000 farmers’ housholds whose annual incomes exceed 1 billion VND (43,207 USD), with the rural poverty rate deceasing quickly to be under 3 percent this year.

Under Decision 673, the VFU has conducted a project on overhauling the fund for supporting farmers, which received more than 2.64 trillion VND from the government and municipal and provincial authorities. The fund has so far assisted 568,737 housholds in building production and business models.

Vocational training and consultation for farmers, as well as communications campaigns to encourage farmers to engage in new-style rural building were also key activities in the last decade, Sung added.

To date, Vietnam has 5,177 communes or 58,2 percent of its total communes gained the new-style rural building status.

Concluding the function, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said despite natural disasters and diseases, under the Party’s leadership and the Government’s management, the VFU has worked with ministries, sectors and local authorities to build rural infrastruture, boost economic development, protect the environment, and ensure security and farmers’ living standards.

He said with delight that Vietnam’s agricultural export reached over 41 billion USD this year, becoming one of the top nations in ASEAN in terms of farm produce. Vietnam is moving toward a safe agriculture and Vietnamese farmers boat improved knowlegde and skills, he added.

There is a need to have a new generation of farmers who can access advance science and technology and digitial economics, he noted.

He urged the VFU to contunue promoting the key role in agricultural development and new-style rural building in contribution to building modern and sustainable rural area and agricultural sector as well as to helping farmers engage in and benefit more from the nation’s industrialisation and modernisation./.

PM urges traffic, COVID-19 safety during holidays

Traffic Police Department will launch a campaign from December 15 to ensure traffic safety and social order during the holidays and festivals (Source: VNA)

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has issued a notice calling for traffic safety during upcoming holidays along with strict observation of regulations on the control and prevention of COVID-19.

The PM has asked the National Traffic Safety Committee, ministries, provincial and city People’s Committees and other authorities to strengthen traffic safety works during New Year, Tet (Lunar New Year) and spring festivals.

The PM's notice stated that ministries, agencies and localities should promote the dissemination of traffic safety information and knowledge of COVID-19 prevention and control, as well as encourage people to use public transport during holidays.

Agencies must stay updated on the situation of traffic accidents and traffic jams during festivals.

Businesses, educational and training establishments need to require employees and students to abide by traffic safety regulations, coordinate with transport units to organise the sale of train tickets to workers and students and arrange a suitable amount of time for employees and students to enjoy Tet holidays and return to work and study to reduce traffic pressure before, during and after the Lunar New Year.

PM Phuc also asked agencies and localities to strengthen patrols and control and strictly handle traffic violations on roads, railways and waterways and ensure the absolute safety of COVID-19 prevention for task forces and people.

Increased inspections should be made to punish traffic regulation violators during the holidays.

The capacity and quality of passenger transportation services need to be improved to meet increasing travel demand during the upcoming holidays.

Passenger transport businesses and passengers must fully comply with the provisions of the law on traffic safety and strictly comply with regulations on prevention and control of COVID-19.

Transport businesses must prepare plans to serve passengers and be ready to provide additional vehicles when needed.

Illegal fare increases should be dealt with strictly.

The upgrading, repair and maintenance of key traffic routes should be completed before January 30, 2021.

Cities and localities must carry out measures to reduce traffic congestion on the main routes and at stations, airports, as well as impose strict penalties for traffic violators.

Departments of health and medical establishments nationwide must be on duty around clock and prepare staff, equipment and medicine for treating traffic accident victims.

The units need to have a timely response to deal with possible COVID-19 infections.

Heads of agencies and units are responsible for controlling and preventing COVID-19.

Hotlines to receive traffic complaints during the Tet holiday should be widely publicised on the media and information about COVID-19 prevention and control must be posted at bus stations, airports and on public transport./.

Singapore starts final stage trials for COVID-19 antibody

The final phase of the clinical trial for a COVID-19 antibody developed by Singapore biotechnology company Tychan began on December 11.

The antibody can potentially help patients with the coronavirus to recover faster, while slowing the progression of the infection.

Some 1,305 patients who have tested positive for the virus will take part voluntarily in the clinical trials.

If the clinical trials are successful, the antibody will be submitted for review by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) and other regulatory agencies as a new drug.

In October, HSA gave Tychan the green light to start final-stage trials.

A six-week phase one trial in June with 23 healthy volunteers yielded good outcomes in terms of safety, said Tychan co-founder Ooi Eng Eong.

Singapore has recently approved Advanced MedTech Holdings’ COVID-19 kit for use in testing saliva from deep within the throat, as the country looks to ramp up testing to help re-open its borders and resume more economic activity.

The test is the first of its type to receive approval from the HAS.

Singapore has made testing a pillar of its strategy to gradually re-open its borders that have been largely shut for most of 2020./.

Vietnamese diplomats pay floral tribute to late Lao President Kaysone Phomvihane

A delegation of the Vietnamese Embassy in Laos and Vietnam’s diplomatic offices in the country offered flowers at the statue of late Lao President Kaysone Phomvihane in the Kaysone Phomvihane Museum on December 11 on the occasion of his 100th birth anniversary (December 13, 1920-2020).

Trinh Thi Tam from the Vietnamese embassy, and the delegation devoted one minute of silence to commemorate the late President – the beloved leader of Lao people and a close friend of Vietnam’s Party, State and people.

She said that the embassy and diplomatic offices of Vietnam will continue coordinating with Lao offices in nurturing and developing the Vietnam-Laos, Laos-Vietnam special cooperation.

She wished the bilateral great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation will last forever, and affirmed that President Kaysone Phomvihane will live forever in Laos’ revolutionary cause as well as the Laos-Vietnam special relations.

Anime series about Vietnamese folk stories released

Cổ Tích Việt Nam (Vietnamese Folk Stories), a new anime series of 125 episodes on Vietnamese folk stories, will air on the Long An Province Radio & Television next week. The series features popular fairy tales and myths highlighting historic events and famous characters from different periods of the country’s history, such as Thạch Sanh (The Story of Thạch Sanh) and Thánh Gióng (Saint Gióng).— Photo courtesy of the producer

A new anime series of 125 episodes about Vietnamese folk stories will air on the Long An Province Radio & Television next week. 

The series, Cổ Tích Việt Nam (Vietnamese Folk Stories), features popular fairy tales and myths highlighting historic events and famous characters from different periods of the country’s history, such as Thạch Sanh (The Story of Thạch Sanh), Tấm Cám (Tấm and Cám) and Thánh Gióng (Saint Gióng). 

Tấm Cám is a fairy tale best known as the Vietnamese version of Cinderella. It tells the life of an orphan girl named Tấm, who is beautiful, hard-working, and kind to everyone and animals.   

She lives with her stepmother and half-sister Cám who find a way to harm her. After facing challenges, Tấm finally gets married with the King and lives happily ever after.

Thạch Sanh tells the story of an orphan who grows up to be a brave woodcutter and defeats monsters to save a princess.

Thánh Gióng portrays a young hero named Gióng who becomes a giant and rides on an iron horse leading his villagers to fight against northern invaders.

Each episode portrays stories about the culture, lifestyle and characters of the Vietnamese people. 

It includes 3D technology and a soundtrack using folk music. 

“We’re happy to produce these cartoons on Vietnamese tales for audiences, particularly youngsters," said painter and film director Trần Văn Kiệm, one of the show’s producers. 

“Our TV series features the beauty of Vietnamese culture. Our painters tried their best to bring lively pictures to audiences.” 

Kiệm and his staff spent many hours on painting and production to capture the Vietnamese spirit through the film.

“Our producer, VietFilm, and artists hope to offer quality shows with Vietnamese animation, combined with Vietnamese language and characters,” said Kiệm, who works for the France-based anime agency Oggy. 

“Cổ Tích Việt Nam is our dream of bringing Vietnamese culture to animation. Audiences, particularly children and teenagers, will be proud of their country and people after watching.”

Cổ Tích Việt Nam will air at 9pm on the channel THVL 1 every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. It is expected to be broadcast on the provincial TV stations of Long An, Tiền Giang and Bình Phước. 

Extremely cold spell to hit northern Vietnam next week

Northern localities, including Hanoi capital, are set to experience an extremely cold spell due to start on December 14, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting (NCHMF).

The impending weather conditions will also affect north-central and central regions, leading to spells of heavy rain, the NCHMF said.

The spell is forecast to cause the temperature in the north to drop to as low as 11 degrees Celsius on December 15 in the plains and between eight and 11 degrees in the mountains.

The weather is set to get extremely cold at night and early in the morning, while it will be dry with low humidity during the daytime, thereby creating a huge difference in temperature. As a result, local residents, especially the elderly and children, are advised to don warm clothes to protect their health.

It is the coldest spell that will have hit the northern region since the start of winter this year, according to the national weather forecast authority.

The NCHMF forecasts that the country will endure between four to six separate cold spells over the coming month.

Bac Ninh artists display work together

Eight artists from the northern province of Bắc Ninh will display artworks together in Hà Nội on Friday.

The artists, including Nguyễn Nghĩa Cương, Nguyễn Nghĩa Dậu, Nguyễn Văn Hưng, Nguyễn Khắc Hưng, Vũ Bình Minh, Nguyễn Thanh, Nguyễn Văn Thuật and Nguyễn Minh Nam, want to organise the exhibition honouring their homeland. 

"Almost all the artists are established and they are recognised by professionals," said art critic Vũ Huy Thông. 

"The exhibition will be rich in materials and genres including painting, graphics and sculpture which provide the diversity needed for enjoyment and art collection."

All the artists were born in Bắc Ninh about 30km from Hà Nội. The land with deep northern culture has nurtured their love for art. 

At the exhibition, they will showcase artworks which not only depict the beauty of nature and people but also express their' thoughts about the relation between traditional culture and today's all-round development. 

Dậu, a lecturer at the Việt Nam University of Fine Arts, will show his lacquer paintings which combine traditional lacquer technique and modern creativity, whilst Hân will present his artworks of black and white print paintings.

Minh is the only sculptor at the exhibition. He will display a sculpture entitled Humid Zone No 1.4, which symbolises the energy of nature. 

Minh is popular for his collection of steel sculptures in the shape of clouds, rain lightning and thunder. 

Paintings by Thanh will impress viewers with colourful patterns. His paintings are densely decorated with dense and colourful patterns.

He uses octopus, insect and rose motifs to highlight illogical combinations in the paintings. The image of the suit and the hand are signals leading to the content of the paintings which is a sceptical view of humans in modern society.

The exhibition will be held from December 11 to 17 at 29 Hàng Bài Exhibition House.

Ethnic minority festival postponed for second time

The second Mường Ethnic Cultural Festival has been halted for the second time. — Photo daidoanket.vn

The second Mường Ethnic Cultural Festival, which was scheduled to take place from December 10-12 in the central province of Thanh Hóa, will be postponed to prevent the spread of COVID-19, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

This is the second time the event, which aims to honour and promote the cultural identity of the Mường ethnic minority, has been postponed. An appropriate time to celebrate the festival will be considered by the ministry in collaboration with Thanh Hóa Provincial People's Committee and announced later.

Earlier, the second Mường Ethnic Cultural Festival was postponed from its original date of October 29-31, also due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The culture ministry and the Thanh Hoá authorities had worked with localities to prepare for the festival.

More than 600 artisans, artists and athletes from Mường communities across the nation were expected to attend.

A variety of activities were to be featured, including a demonstration of weaving traditional clothes and handicraft products, performances of gongs, ritual ceremonies and a photo exhibition.

However, due to the continued risk of COVID-19 spread to the community the event has been postponed.

The first Mường Ethnic Culture Festival was held in the northern province of Hòa Bình in 2007. 

Dong Thap expands high quality rice cultivation

More rice farmers in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Đồng Tháp have switched to growing high-quality rice varieties, which sell well and offer high profits.

More than 60 per cent of rice planted in Đồng Tháp are high-quality rice varieties, up 4.2 per cent against two years ago, according to the province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

These rice varieties include Jasmine 85, Nàng Hoa 9, OM 4900, OM 6976, Đài Thơm 8 and DTM 126.

The province, which is one of the delta’s largest rice producers, grows more than 520,000ha of rice a year with an annual output of 3.3 million tonnes.

Nguyễn Văn Phúc, who owns a 2ha rice field in Tháp Mười District’s Phú Điền Commune, said he switched from growing low-quality IR 50404 rice to the high quality Đài Thơ 8 rice in the 2019 - 20 winter – spring rice crop.  

He harvested a yield of 8 tonnes of paddy per hectare in the 2019 -20 winter – spring rice crop, up 1 tonnes against the 2018 - 19 winter – spring rice crop.

He sold Đài Thơ 8 rice for VNĐ1,000 more than normal rice varieties. 

Farmers and co-operatives that grow high-quality rice varieties have signed farm contracts with rice companies to guarantee outlets and stable prices.

The Thuận Tiến Agriculture Services Co-operative in Cao Lãnh District’s Gáo Giồng Commune has signed farm contracts with companies to produce high-quality rice.

According to Nguyễn Thanh Hùng, chairman of the Thuận Tiến, the co-operative’s high-quality rice is guaranteed an outlet with a price of VNĐ150 – 200 a kilogramme higher than the market price.

The co-operative members earn a profit that is 15 – 20 per cent higher than before and have stable outlets.

About 46 per cent of the province’s rice growing areas have been guaranteed outlets by rice companies.

To supply high-quality rice varieties for farmers, the province has conducted research and planted several new high-quality rice varieties suited to its soil and weather conditions.

Lê Ngọc Hoa of the Đồng Tháp High-Tech Agriculture Application Centre said the province had planted on a pilot basis two new varieties – RD71 and AD61 – in Hồng Ngự and Tân Hồng districts.

The two rice varieties are high quality, have a short maturity period, and yield 6 -7 tonnes per hectare.

Hồng Ngự and Tân Hồng districts are also expanding the cultivation of other high-quality rice varieties like OM 221 and OM 124 as they have a high yield of seven tonnes per hectare.

In the ongoing 2020 -21 winter – spring rice crop, the province targets growing about 200,000ha, focusing on high-quality varieties that meet market demand and are resistant to disease, according to the province’s Plant Cultivation and Protection Sub-department.  

Nguyễn Văn Mười, director of the Tân Thuận Agriculture Services Co-operative in Châu Thành District’s An Phú Thuận Commune, said: “For the 2020 - 21 winter-spring rice crop, the co-operative decided to grow rice varieties that have high quality and high yield to increase profit for its members.”

Restructuring

Đồng Tháp authorities in recent years have encouraged farmers to turn ineffective rice fields to other high-value crops like fruit and aquaculture.

The average profit of fruits is about VNĐ370 million (US$16,000) per hectare a year, 3 - 8 times higher than profits from rice cultivation, according to farmers.

Trần Văn Nam in Tháp Mười District’s Thanh Mỹ Commune has switched from rice to growing lime on his 1.3ha rice field. He now earns a profit of VNĐ400 million ($17,300) per hectare a year.

More rice farmers have also rotated the cultivation of rice in the rainy season and other short - term crops like sesame in the dry season to save irrigation water and prevent the spread of rice diseases.

Rice farmers in the province have converted more than 16,240 ha of rice fields to high-value crops like fruit, vegetables, flower and ornamental plants and aquaculture, according to the province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Durian farmers' incomes rise after improving quality, yield

Harvesting durian in Tiền Giang Province’s Cai Lậy District.

Farmers in Cai Lậy District, the largest durian producer in Tiền Giang Province, have raised their income by improving yield and quality with the use of advanced techniques.

The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta district has about 9,000ha of durian with an annual output of more than 250,000 tonnes for domestic consumption and export, according to the province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.  

More farmers in the district have planted durian under good agricultural practices (GAP) and have used automated irrigation and bio-products, as well as techniques to produce off-season durian.

Farmers have also been using quality durian seedlings. Durian trees normally begin to bear fruit after five years and increase their yield year by year.  

The high-quality durian varieties Mong Thong and Ri 6 are the most commonly planted varieties in the district.

Nguyễn Văn Của, who has a 3,500 sq.m Mong Thong durian orchard in Tam Bình Commune, invested VNĐ30 million (US$1,300) in an automatic spraying irrigation system that takes about 15 minutes to water plants.

Previously, it took him nearly one day to irrigate durian trees manually.

The use of advanced techniques has reduced production costs and increased yield, improving the lives of farmers, according to the department’s Agriculture Extension and Services Centre.

The use of an automatic system, for instance, saves 50 per cent of irrigation water compared to manual irrigation and saves 90 per cent of labour costs for irrigation. It has helped raise farmers' incomes by 5 – 10 per cent and solved the labourer shortage for crop irrigation in rural areas.

Farmers in the district have also been producing off-season durian with advanced techniques. Durian trees have one harvest a year in lunar May and June. With the techniques of producing off-season durian, farmers can have harvest in lunar September and October.

The price of off-season durian is three to four times higher than durian from the main harvest, according to farmers.

Local authorities have encouraged durian farmers to use VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards to ensure food safety, environmental protection and origin traceability.

Nguyễn Văn Lâm, chairman of the Tam Bình Commune People’s Committee, said the commune has 1,400ha of durian and is the district’s largest durian cultivation area.

The commune has two durian co-operative groups – Bình Hòa B and Bình Hòa A – which instruct farmers to grow durian under VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards.

The Bình Hòa B durian co-operative group has 21.1ha of durian that has been granted GlobalGAP certification.

Nguyễn Văn Nhủ in Tam Bình’s Bình Hòa B Commune has a 5,000-sq.m durian orchard and harvests about 10 tonnes of durian a year at an average price of VNĐ60,000 a kilogramme.

He earns a profit of VNĐ400 million ($17,300) after deducting all production costs for his 10-year-old durian orchard.

“I switched from growing rice to planting durian after seeing an opportunity to improve the life of my family,” he said.

The communes of Tam Bình, Long Trung, Long Tiên, Ngũ Hiệp, Hội Xuân and Cẩm Sơn in the district that specialise in growing durian have established agriculture service co-operatives to encourage farmers to work together and apply GAP standards.

The Ngũ Hiệp Durian Co-operative in Ngũ Hiệp Commune has 15ha of durian planted under VietGAP standards and has built a 200 sq.m workshop for packing durian fruit.

The co-operative has also developed a value chain for durian production, and supplies about 400 tonnes of VietGAP-quality durian to the market a year.

To develop sustainable cultivation, district authorities plan to develop value chains for 3,000ha of durian in the district’s major durian growing communes.

Last year, the National Office of Intellectual Property granted a collective brand name “Sầu riêng Cai Lậy” for the district’s durian fruit.

Tiền Giang Province is the country’s largest fruit producer, with many speciality fruits like durian, mango, milk apple and longan.

Dozens of houses built illegally on forestry land

Dozens of houses have been built on the forestry land in Lam Dong Province's Duc Trong District illegally while the local authorities failed to deal with the issue.

Phuong Nam Ecotourism JSC is managing 355ha of forestry land in Hiep An Commune. However, 10% of the land has been encroached upon. Nguyen Duc Phuc, director of Phuong Nam Ecotourism JSC, said many people had encroached upon the land and built, transferred and sold houses illegally there. Even though they had noticed the problem very early and filed complaints to the authorities, they hadn't received any feedback.

As a result, a small village of 50 houses was formed overtime with roads and an electricity network.

"We filed complaints to many places but the buck was passed from one to another. The provincial authorities appointed the district authorities to deal with this case. The district authorities appointed the communal authorities and nothing was dealt with," Phuc said. "I heard that state employees also bought houses there. I don't know exactly who."

After the case was exposed to the media, on October 28, Lam Dong Province People's Committee asked related agencies and Duc Dong District People's Committee to inspect and deal with the violators. At the time, the houses were deserted. The local authorities said they were unable to identify the violators.

On December 10, three houses were dismantled. Le Nguyen Hoang, vice chairman of Duc Trong People's Committee said they would continue to dismantle the rest of the houses no matter if they can identify the owners or not.

"We'll keep calling for the owners to remove their own houses. If they fail to comply, we'll remove the houses," he said.

Source: VNA/VNN/VNS/SGGP/VOV/NDO/Dtinews/SGT/VIR