Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on December 21 signed a directive on further ensuring traffic safety and order for students in the new situation.

In the directive, the Government leader underlined that the Party and State defined ensuring traffic safety for students as one of the top priorities.

However, he noted that the current traffic safety situation has still been complicated, affecting students. Since the beginning of this year, nearly 900 traffic accidents involving students (from 6-18 years old) have been reported, killing 490 people and injuring 827 others.

Therefore, the PM asked for more drastic measures to prevent and minimise traffic accidents related to students.

He urged ministries and heads of ministry-level agencies and governmental agencies as well as Chairpersons of People’s Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities to consider the guarantee of traffic safety for students as one of their key tasks that must be implemented drastically, persistently, regularly and continuously.

Ministries, sectors and localities were assigned specific tasks in the work, with the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) requested to review and complete teaching programmes and contents related to traffic safety and order for students, and build a set of rules of civilised traffic culture for students.
The MoET was ordered to step up the popularisation of traffic regulations among teachers and students, while focusing on training teachers in traffic safety education.

Meanwhile, the MoET was asked to direct the provincial and municipal Departments of Education and Training to work with relevant agencies in installing cameras near schools to monitor the traffic situation in the areas, while providing information on school buses to authorised agencies to ensure that all the vehicles meets safety requirements.

The Ministry of Public Security was requested to coordinate with the education and training sector to promote communications and education on traffic laws in education facilities, increase traffic management and handle violations.

Particularly, the Ministry of Transport was assigned to design mechanisms and policies to encourage students to travel by public transport means and school buses, and inspect the implementation of traffic safety regulations among businesses engaging in transporting students under contract.

The People’s Committees of centrally-run cities and provinces were asked to review and re-organise traffic activities in school areas as well as areas with high risks of traffic accidents, upgrade the transport infrastructure systems in school areas, and support schools in organising safe transport activities for students.

PM calls for more effective actions to promote growth of cultural industries

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has stressed the need for higher determination, stronger efforts and more effective actions from ministries, sectors, localities and organisations to promote the growth of cultural industries, increasing their contributions to the country’s GDP by 2030.

Addressing the first national teleconference on the development of the cultural industries in Vietnam on December 22, the Government leader highlighted the progress of industries, with contributions to the national GDP increasing to 4.4% in 2022 from 3.92% in 2021.

However, he stressed that the development of cultural industries has yet to match the potential, pointing out a number of reasons, including inefficient mechanisms and policies, inadequate investment and a lack of high quality human resources.

The PM held that the cultural industries boast great potential to grow rapidly and create new impetus for cultural development, highlighting the country’s great advantages, including beautiful and diverse natural landscapes and unique cultural identities of 54 ethnic groups as well as the country’s strong integration into the world.

The leader put forth six major orientations in developing the national cultural industries, stressing that the industries' growth must contribute to building the modern Vietnamese culture with strong national identity, linking creative, cultural and art activities with production and business activities, basing on innovation, science and technology and protecting intellectual property rights.

The industries must expand in a more professional, modern, dynamic and competitive manner, with the combination of diverse sectors and areas in line with fundamental rules of the market economy and trends of the era, he stated.

The PM emphasised that the development of the cultural industries must go along with the promotion and popularisation of the image of Vietnam and its people, while cultural products must meet the creative, characteristic, professional, healthy, competitive and sustainability requirements, thus building national trademarks for Vietnam’s cultural products and services to join national global chains.

PM Chinh assigned specific tasks to particular ministries, sectors and localities in boosting the growth of the cultural industries, asking them to propose mechanisms and policies in the field, including those to encourage investment and public-private partnership in the industries.

The Government leader called on the business community to promote their dynamism, creativity and driving role in boosting the growth of the cultural industries and protecting and developing national cultural identity.

According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the cultural industries include cinematography, cultural tourism, performing arts, fine arts, photography, exhibition, advertising, architecture, designing, publication, fashion, radio and television broadcasting, software, entertainment games, and handicraft.

They have made considerable contributions to the economy, it said, elaborating that their production value was estimated at 1.059 quadrillion VND (44 billion USD) during 2018 - 2022.

PM receives Chairman of Adani Group in Hanoi

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on December 22 received Gautam Adani, Chairman of India's major infrastructure conglomerate Adani Group which is currently exploring an investment of around 10 billion USD in Vietnam over the next decade.

The PM stated that Vietnam always welcomes and is ready to host large Indian groups, including Adani, to invest in such strategic areas as infrastructure and renewable energy.

Praising Vietnam’s investment climate, the Indian entrepreneur introduced Adani's cooperation strategy in the Southeast Asian country with a total investment of up to 10 billion USD over the next 10 years in the fields of seaports, logistics, infrastructure, and renewable energy. A highlight of them is the Lien Chieu port project in the central coastal city of Da Nang.

The group wants to invest in Vietnam in the sectors of seaports, green energy, power transmission, airports, inland waterways, and other mutually interested areas, he noted.

Saying that these sectors align with the country’s development strategy, the Government leader suggested the conglomerate bring advanced, new, and clean technologies as well as modern management to Vietnam.

In the near future, he recommended that Adani closely coordinate with Vietnamese ministries, sectors, and localities to effectively implement the Lien Chieu port project, and study investment in building the Chu Lai airport and specific renewable energy projects.

The PM affirmed that Vietnam supports and creates favourable conditions for Indian firms to deploy effective and sustainable investment and business activities in Vietnam, contributing positively to the development of the two countries’ comprehensive strategic partnership.

With a market capitalisation of over 200 billion USD, Adani Group owns 14 major seaports and seven airports in India.

Conference seeks to promote tourism linkages between Vietnam's coastal provinces, India

The Consulate General of India in Ho Chi Minh City and the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the south-central province of Binh Thuan on December 22 organised a conference to promote tourism linkages between India and Vietnam’s coastal provinces.

At the event, participants introduced the tourism strengths and potential of Binh Thuan and India, their new tourism products and trade cooperation.

Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Lan Ngoc said that with the advantages of a long coastline, beautiful beaches, nature reserves, and typical cultural festivals, Binh Thuan has emerged to become a safe, friendly tourist destination which is liked by both domestic and international tourists.

Binh Thuan now has about 600 accommodation establishments with a total of nearly 19,000 rooms, 557 apartments and 462 villas. Along with high-end tourism products such as golf, luxury beach resorts, marine sports tourism, and off-road sports tourism, Binh Thuan is developing tourism product lines such as green tourism, tourism activities combined with natural resources preservation and environmental protection, cultural tourism products associated with festivals, sightseeing and experiencing the daily life of local people. The province has also promotes the development of eco-tourism, adventure tourism, and wellness tourism.

In 2023, Binh Thuan welcomed about 8.3 million visitors, including about 220,000 foreigners. The number of visitors to the province increased by 16.28% a year and the number of foreign tourists doubled a year, including those from India.

The official said that India is a large market that Binh Thuan’s tourism industry is aiming at. The province hopes that Indian travel companies will pay more attention to Binh Thuan in particular and Vietnam in general.

She said it is expected that Binh Thuan will have an airport with a capacity to welcome about 2 million passengers per year, which will help the province to attract more foreign tourists.

Pankaj Kumar, a representative of the Consulate General of India in Ho Chi Minh City, said that Binh Thuan and India have cultural similarities. The province has strengths in sea, islands, forests, lakes and waterfalls to organise outdoor activities.

He said Indian tourists are interested in outdoor activities and exploring local culture.

Participants at the event proposed solutions to connect with the Indian market and attract more tourists from the South Asian country.

Indian scholar hails Vietnam’s diplomatic achievements

The "bamboo diplomacy" approach, coupled with a flexible foreign policy, has brought numerous achievements for Vietnam in its international relations this year, said Prof. Bharti Chhibber, an Indian expert in Vietnamese studies and ASEAN external policy.    

During an interview recently granted to Vietnam News Agency correspondents in India, Chhibber said the many overseas visits by Vietnamese leaders to strategic partners and neighbouring countries have fostered trust and promoted collaboration across a wide array of fields. Moreover, Vietnam is emerging as an attractive destination for foreign investors and businesses seeking to diversify supply chains.

She said diplomatic activities have elevated Vietnam's international standing within both ASEAN and other international organisations. Vietnam has been elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), Vice President of the UN General Assembly’s 77th session, and a member of the UN Human Rights Council. Vietnam has also actively contributed to the UN peacekeeping operations.      

In her view, Vietnam's diplomacy has had a positive impact on the India-Vietnam relationship. India and Vietnam share a close bilateral relationship, rooted in long-lasting cultural and historical ties within Buddhism and their shared struggle for liberation from colonialism. The bilateral relationship was upgraded to a "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership" in 2016 during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Vietnam. The Joint Vision Statement for Peace, Prosperity and People was ratified by both nations in 2020.

The scholar stressed that five decades since the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties, both Vietnam and India have supported each other in various global issues and stepped up cooperation in numerous projects. 

She said Vietnam has supported India's more prominent role in multilateral forums and in the stability and development of the Indo-Pacific region, while India has backed Vietnam's stance on settling disputes in the East Sea.

Highlighting bilateral cooperation within the framework of India's Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative and ASEAN's Outlook on the Indo-Pacific for regional security and progress, she described Vietnam as an important partner in India's "Act East" policy and Mekong-Ganga Cooperation.

On the economic front, both nations could jointly build resilient supply chains, foster a sustainable green economy with a focus on digital technology, cyberspace initiatives and medical tourism. This requires both sides to enhance connectivity and develop better infrastructure to establish a more sustainable and profound partnership, she suggested.

Vietnam People's Army’s founding anniversary marked in South Sudan

Level-2 Field Hospital Rotation 5 of Vietnam, which has joined the United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), has organised practical activities to introduce the image of Vietnam and its people, and the heroic tradition of the Vietnamese army, to international friends.

In celebration of the 79th founding anniversary of the Vietnam People's Army (December 22, 1944 - 2023), the activities have helped to send a message to international friends about a friendly and peace-loving Vietnam that always wants to be a friend with all countries in the world.

On this occasion, Force Commander of UNMISS Lieutenant General Mohan Subramanian, who had worked in Vietnam for four years, visited officers and soldiers of the Vietnamese field hospital.

While expressing his impression of the history and heroic tradition of the VPA, the officer acknowledged the contributions of the hospital in particular and the Vietnamese army in general to the UN peacekeeping force at the UNMISS.

He took this occasion to present a certificate of merit to Senior Lieutenant Nguyen Thi Thanh Hang for her outstanding achievements at the hospital.

Level-2 Field Hospital Rotation 5 was deployed to South Sudan in July this year to replace Level-2 Field Hospital Rotation 4. It consisted of 63 members, including 11 females. These officers and soldiers have undergone comprehensive training in all aspects, including political, military, technical logistics, medical expertise, and peacekeeping knowledge relevant to the current situation.

The continuous deployment of Vietnam's level-2 field hospitals at UN peacekeeping missions has contributed to affirming Vietnam's responsible and active participation and long-term commitment to UN peacekeeping operations.

15 winners honoured at Vietnam Digital Content Creation Award 2023

Fifteen individuals and organisations were honoured at the Vietnam Digital Content Creation Award (VCA) 2023 during a ceremony in Hanoi on December 22.

VCA 2023, the first of its kind in Vietnam, was co-hosted by the Vietnam Digital Content Association (VDCA) and the Vietnam Digital Content Creation Alliance (DCCA).

Over the course of three months since its launch, the awards received 256 entries across seven categories.

In the best educational digital content category, VinUni University library secured a prize for their work titled “Bao tang Sieu thuc di san Viet Nam” (The Supra-real Museum of Vietnam's Heritage) while the Mam Xanh team received accolades for their e-book for children titled “Biet doi sieu nhan nang luong” (Energy Superhero Team).

The best short film category saw Pham Quoc Dung earning the prize for his creation titled “Nhung nguoi bao ve cuoi cung” (The Last Protectors of Vietnam). Additionally, Nam Phuong Vietnam Co., Ltd and Catsy Co., Ltd were distinguished in the best advertising film category for their respective films "Barona" and "Hành trình không dừng lại" (Unstoppable Journey).

In the category of best animated films, "Doi lan su nhi nho" (Funny Lion Team) by Alpha Studio Vietnam Co., Ltd and "Ice Creams and Furious" by WOLFOO World Entertainment and Communication Co., Ltd were recognised as exemplary works.

VCA 2023 aims to honour individuals and organisations that have made noteworthy contributions to culturally and educationally valuable digital content, spreading positive values to the community. It is also meant to propel the development of the Vietnamese digital content, film and cultural industries, while spreading "Make in Vietnam" digital content products to the global community.

Southern coastal provinces crack down on IUU fishing

Southern coastal provinces have launched a crackdown on fighting illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities, in a bid to carry out recommendations made by the European Commission (EC) during its fourth inspection, with the ultimate goal of having the "yellow card" warning lifted.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien said since early 2023, fishing vessels violating foreign waters have been mostly from the provinces of Kien Giang, Ben Tre, Binh Dinh, Ca Mau, Binh Thuan, Khanh Hoa and Tien Giang. Therefore, they need to establish a close coordination in the management of offshore fishing vessels.

Vice Chairman of the Ben Tre provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Minh Canh said that defining fisheries as a spearhead economic sector, Ben Tre has paid great attention to switching traditional fisheries to responsible and sustainable fisheries.

It has built a communications programme on IUU fishing prevention and control, while setting up a steering committee for IUU fishing prevention and control in 2017 with annual revision and elevation of the work.

Canh said that so far, Ben Tre has signed a coordination agreement with eight coastal localities in fishing boat management, as well as collaboration deals with the Coast Guard Regions 3 and 4 on IUU fishing prevention and control.

As a result, local fishermen's abiding by fisheries regulations has been greatly improved, while all fishing vessels have installed the vessel monitoring system (VMS) and strictly follow procedures in vessel registration, fisheries exploitation and operation recording.

In Binh Thuan, competent agencies have handled 366 cases of violating fishing regulations and imposed fines worth nearly 3.5 billion VND (144,370 USD) since the beginning of this year.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang asked the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to promptly finalise and submit amended decrees on following EC’s  recommendations to the Government.

HCM City to organise international music performance with free entrance

The three-day music show HOZO Super Fest under the 2023 Hò Dô (HOZO) International Music Festival will be held between December 22 and 24 on District 1’s Nguyễn Huệ Pedestrian Street.

According to Merited Artist Nguyễn Thị Thanh Thúy, deputy director of the city’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, HOZO will be free of charge to serve residents and international tourists in HCM City.

She hopes that this programme will become an annual cultural tourism event, unique to the city and will promote Viet Nam’s image.

She said, after being successfully organised in 2019 and 2021, HOZO 2023 will attract a significant number of international tourists and contribute to economic growth.

The event is expected to attract around 150,000 visitors. The programme is organised by the city’s organising committee for major holidays, co-operating with HCM City Light Music Centre and other relevant units.

The committee has announced artists who will perform during the festival, including 10 international artists and music bands, and 14 representatives from Viet Nam.

On the first day, the performing artists and bands will be Charlie Lim, Otyken band, Psychic Fever and five representatives from Việt Nam including Binz, Chillies band, GreyD, semi-classical orchestra Saigon Pops Orchestra and DJ Hoaprox.

The evening of December 23 will feature a K-pop band with a Vietnamese member called Tempest, Kurrock band and Good Morning Everyone.

The final day (December 24) will have the world’s top DJ Don Diablo, the band El Pony Pisador, Vortexx, singer Thu Minh, and more.

2023 HOZO International Music Festival in HCM City, held from September to the end of the year, consists of a series of activities such as performance tours at universities, exhibitions, new MV launches and workshops. 

Creative space offers cultural activities at ‘282 Factory - Heritage Journey’

A series of attractive cultural and artistic activities are waiting for Hà Nội’s young people to discover this Saturday.

The 282 Factory, a multifunctional creative space renovated from an old oil processing factory in Long Biên District, will host a special festival called ‘282 Factory – Heritage Journey’.

With an aim to bring the people of Hà Nội a green, clean and beautiful space, the organiser expects that the event will help visitors find something completely different from the daily hustle and bustle.

The ‘282 Factory – Heritage Journey’ will feature a performing art workshop on jazz theatre – a branch of jazz dance (an American performing art form originating from West African dance culture). This workshop is for any fan of jazz, particularly those who want to directly experience a jazz dance class.

The word “theatre” here comes from the musical theatre concept as the musicals performed on Broadway (New York), West-end (London) and other world-famous venues.

The workshop will be conducted by members of the Theatre Dance Vietnam, a dance platform founded by jazz choreographer Linh An and American actor Johnson Brock, aiming to promote musical-theatre dance forms in Việt Nam.

Founder Linh An will also present her attractive theatre dance performance at the event.

Alongside the dance workshop, guests can also join a workshop on Christmas cupcake decoration with ICC – I Can Class. With this workshop, suitable for attendees of all ages and pleasant for year-end parties, participants will be able to create their own sweet cupcakes with their own imprint or personal preferences.

Coffee enthusiasts can take part in a workshop dedicated to this magic drink and related stories. With this workshop, the host – SUFE Coffee – expects that participants will be able to make their own cup of coffee to experience not only as a drinker but also as a barista.

Other unique workshops on materials, furniture and fashion are also on the festival’s agenda.

At the 282 Factory, festival-goers can stroll around to enjoy different exhibitions showcasing art, furniture and fashion.

An exhibition located to the left of the entrance is dedicated to antique bicycles, presented as an art installation work.

An exhibition presenting the ‘green message’ of “Making Wood without Destruction” will be presented at the festival by the 282 Design. The exhibition is not only about the products but also the harmony between the products and nature and the environment. Visitors who love nature, wood and carpentry products should not skip this one.

Sartorial fashion show is another event that visitors, especially gentlemen, should not miss at the 282 Factory. Sartorial style has European origins from long ago, starting when King Charles II promulgated the dress code for the British Royal Courts in the 17th century. Today, sartorial style is still popular for its sophistication and elegance.

Spreading the story of gentlemen's passion for suits, Sartorial Vietnam will bring useful sharing about classic suits and attractive fashion shows to the community on Saturday.

Guests can participate in the ‘Heritage Journey’ that will lead them through different spaces at the 282 Factory, from art galleries to tree-covered common space, and the Scandinavian space, selected as the setting for many talk shows and lookbook photo shooting. The tour will take place at 10am and 2.30pm.

The "282 Factory – Heritage Journey", expected to top the youngster check-in list this year, will last from 8.30am to 10.30pm on Saturday, December 23 at 156 Phú Viên Street, Bồ Đề Ward, Long Biên District.

A multifunctional creative space for entertainment, production, exhibition and workshop, 282 Factory, operates with the philosophy ‘Respect for Human and Nature’. 

Exhibition honours ties of Hà Nội and HCM City art universities

Giao Lưu (Exchange), an exhibition co-organised by the two art universities in Hà Nội and HCM City, has opened in Hà Nội to honour their co-operation and relationship.

The exhibition displays 70 artworks by 62 artists who are lecturers and officials at the Việt Nam University of Fine Arts (VNUFA) in Hà Nội and the HCM City University of Fine Arts in HCM City, to highlight their dedication and creative spirit. 

The diversity of the works reflects the various perspectives on society and life stories of each artist.

Besides paintings that honour the beauty of nature, the country and people, many artists have used their works to integrate messages of art with thoughts and philosophies about life, such as Bể Dâu (Sea Surging) by Trần Quốc Tuấn, Giấc mơ Nagar (Nagar Dream) by Bùi Hải Châu, Những Đám Mây Xa 3 (Far Away Clouds 3) by Trần Hoàng Sơn and Đồng Đội (Teammate) of Nông Tiến Dũng.

Meanwhile, others have found their own style of art and shown their mastery of visual techniques and materials.

In this exhibition, graphic materials are quite prominent, including wood engraving, mezzotint, monoprinting, zinc printing, lithography and stainless steel corrosion.

Through the exhibited works, viewers will discover an interesting similarity in the ideas of the artists from Hà Nội and HCM City, who have perceived traditional culture as their elements for creation. In their works, cultural heritages have appeared in many aspects as an inseparable part of the contemporary context. The similarity in creative perspectives of the artists shows that their creativity has the same origin, at the same time it is also a common thread in their career.

Most of the creations were made recently, so viewers can feel the contemporary artistic atmosphere and conditions of the country's two leading art training centres.

The presence of works by artists from HCM City University of Fine Art has perfectly complemented the art space of the Việt Nam University of Fine Arts in Hà Nội. The exhibition has created an opportunity for artists of the two schools to reflect and learn from each other, according to a press release from the organisers.

The opening of an art exhibition right on the site of the university's art space also provides a good chance for students to access the artistic works of their lecturers and learn from the experiences of their predecessors. It is a gift for the art-loving public in Hà Nội at the end of the year, according to organisers from VNUFA.

Co-organised annually by the two universities in Hà Nội and HCM City, the exhibition this year is an important event within the framework of the two schools' operation programmes to affirm their close relationship and mutual support.

The event started on Wednesday and will last until the end of December 2023. 

Demand for rare blood and blood products increased in 2023

Demand for blood and blood products for emergency treatment at hospitals in the north in 2023 has increased by about 10 per cent compared to the previous year. Particularly, the demand for rare blood products has experienced a significant surge, the Central Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion has announced.

In 2023, the institute has received an estimated figure of blood products for the year from hospitals, reaching up to 668 units of rare blood, including 414 units of red blood cells and 154 units of platelets. This quantity is nearly double that of 2022 and unprecedented compared to previous years, it said.

Dr Trần Ngọc Quế, the institute’s Director of the National Blood Centre, said the peak period was from after the Lunar New Year until mid-March this year. In just two months, the institute received a proposed figure of 180 units of rare blood and blood products, which was half that of the entire year 2022.

Meanwhile, the available quantity of rare blood could only satisfy 30 per cent of this need. The remaining amount had to be mobilised from blood donors. Especially, platelet products had a maximum storage duration of five days, so the institute could not stockpile them but must mobilise when there was a need.

Moreover, platelet donation required stricter criteria for weight, quantity and longer donation time, an average of 70-90 minutes per session, compared to about five minutes for blood donation. Therefore, ensuring a source of rare platelets was even more challenging, he said.

Quế shared that many donors with rare blood types had to travel long distances, willingly donating blood to help patients at any time.

For many, blood donation had become a regular and vital habit. The enthusiasm and readiness of blood donors had played a crucial role in ensuring the supply of this extremely special blood, he stressed.

According to the latest updated data by the International Blood Transfusion Society, there are up to 43 blood group systems with 376 different blood group antigens. The classification into different blood groups is based on the presence or absence of genetically inherited antigens on the surface of red blood cells.

The International Blood Transfusion Society defines a blood group antigen or type, referred to as a blood group, with a frequency of occurrence below 0.1 per cent as rare and below 0.01 per cent as very rare.

The occurrence frequency of blood groups and blood group types varies greatly among different races, regions and countries. The determination of the blood group ratios of the Vietnamese people was carried out quite early, revealing the main blood group ratios of the ABO blood group system and the Rh blood group system in some ethnic groups and communities in Việt Nam.

The results show that one of the rare blood groups commonly found in Việt Nam is Rh(D) negative, accounting for less than 0.1 per cent of the population. This rate in Europe, the US, and Australia is much higher, accounting for about 15-40 per cent of the population.

When there is an emergency case requiring rare blood, family members usually ask for blood on social media or directly call individuals with rare blood types, leading to misinformation and the spread of unverified information, according to Quế.

There have been cases where information was shared when the institute had already received blood from donors, he said. Therefore, the institute encouraged people not to post information about the need for rare blood on social media.

Tiền Giang Province develops concentrated fruit growing areas

The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta of Tiền Giang is developing concentrated fruit growing areas to improve fruit quality and value.

The country’s largest fruit growing locality has more than 86,000ha of fruits, up 3.4 per cent from last year, according to its Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Tiền Giang grows various kinds of fruits such as Chợ Gạo dragon fruit, Ngũ Hiệp durian, Hoà Lộc mango and Vĩnh Kim milk apple, and these fruits have competitive advantages in domestic and foreign markets.

Nguyễn Văn Mẫn, director of the provincial agriculture department, said the province had developed concentrated growing areas for 9,000ha of dragon fruit, more than 20,000ha of durian and nearly 15,400ha of pineapple.

These concentrated growing areas have high economic value and are the province’s most important export products, according to Mẫn.

Concentrated fruit growing areas are developed with the natural conditions of each locality to serve domestic and foreign markets.

In saltwater affected areas in the province’s eastern region and in the Đồng Tháp Mười (Plain of Reeds) region, the province has encouraged farmers to grow dragon fruit and pineapple as they can grow well in these areas.

In fresh water areas along the Tiền River, a tributary of the Mekong River, farmers are encouraged to grow milk apple, sapodilla, green-skin and pink-flesh grape fruit.

In flood-controlled areas in the province’s eastern region, the province develops durian, Hoà Lộc mango and citrus fruits.

The department, in co-operation with districts and towns, has provided farmers with advanced techniques and encouraged them to apply the techniques, such as intensive farming under Vietnamese and global good agricultural practices standards and producing off-season fruits.

It has encouraged farmers to produce off-season fruits to avoid oversupply during the peak harvest season and price declines.

The province has developed more cooperatives and cooperative groups to gather farmers together for large-scale production, and strengthened trade promotion activities for agricultural produce.

It has boosted managing and granting production codes for fruit growing areas and establishments that pack fruits for export.

The province has 297 fruit growing areas with a total of 20,300ha, mostly growing dragon fruit, durian and milk apple, that have been granted production codes.

It also has 307 packaging establishments that have been granted production codes for exporting.

To increase fruit quality to meet market requirements, the province targets all concentrated fruit growing areas that grow specialty fruits to be granted production codes for exporting by 2025.

Some specialty fruits such as Chợ Gạo dragon fruit, Hoà Lộc mango and Ngũ Hiệp durian have been granted geographical indication by the National Office of Intellectual Property, and this created a favourable condition to promote brand names of the province’s specialty fruits.

The province has 190 cooperatives operating in the agriculture and seafood sectors, including 30 durian growing cooperatives with a total of 18,900 members and 18 dragon fruit growing cooperatives with a total of 2,236 members.

This year, prices of the province’s key fruits are high, and this helps farmers in concentrated fruit growing areas to have stable incomes and lives, according to the department.

Many farmers have become wealthy because they had bumper harvests and high prices.

Concentrated fruit growing areas have begun harvesting off-season fruits and the price of durian, dragon fruit and pineapples are increasing.

Huỳnh Tấn Lộc, director of the Ngũ Hiệp Durian Cooperative in Cai Lậy District, said traders buy Mon Thong durian at a price of VNĐ110,000-130,000 (US$4.5-5.4) a kilogramme and Ri 6 durian at a price of VNĐ100,000-110,000 ($4.1-4.5) a kilogramme, up VNĐ24,000-30,000 ($1-1.2) from one month ago.

In Cai Lậy, Long Trung Commune has nearly 1,000ha of concentrated durian growing area with an annual output of 20,000-30,000 tonnes.

Dương Phước Hưng, Chairman of the Long Trung Commune People’s Committee, said the price of off-season durian at the beginning of the harvest season increased significantly and farmers earned high profits.

With an average yield of 20-24 tonnes per hectare and high selling prices, farmers earned a profit of VNĐ1 billion ($41,300) a hectare, the highest profit compared to growing other specialty fruits, he said.

In Chợ Gạo District, which has the largest dragon fruit growing area in the province, traders bought the fruit at a price of VNĐ10,000-28,000 (41 US cents - $1.2) a kilogramme depending on fruit quality and size, up two to three times against the same period last year.

In Tân Phước District, traders bought pineapples at a price of VNĐ8,000-9,000 (32-37 US cents) a kilogramme this year, up nearly double from last year.

Trần Hoàng Phong, Chairman of the Tân Phước District People’s Committee, said that with this price, farmers earned a profit of VNĐ100 million ($4,100) per hectare a year.

Thanks to high income from growing pineapple, people in Tân Phước had overcome difficulties, escaped poverty and had stable lives, he said.

The province harvested 1.32 million tonnes of fruits in the first 11 months of the year, an increase of 2.4 per cent year-on-year.

It is entering the peak fruit harvest season from now to the Tết (Lunar New Year) festival, which falls in February next year. 

Businesses, unions make efforts to ensure fulfilling Tết holiday for workers

With only two months left until the Lunar New Year, companies are putting more focus on workers’ benefits to ensure a fulfilling Tết holiday for their staff, especially in the current challenging economy.

Changshin Vietnam Co Ltd, a footwear business in the southern Đồng Nai Province, announced its Tết bonus plan a month earlier than the previous year.

K.B.T., an employee at Changshin Vietnam said: “It has been a difficult year economically, so we’re very touched and assured to see the company announce the Tết bonus plan early for us with the same stable range as last year.”

According to him, staff with 20 years of experience in the company receive a bonus of 200 per cent of their base salary and commission.

The bonus for those who worked in the company from 3 to 20 years is between 25 and 195 per cent of their base salary and commission, depending on their years of experience. New recruits who start in January 2024 each have a bonus of VNĐ500,000 (US$20).

Đặng Tuấn Tú, trade union chairman of Changshin Vietnam Co Ltd, said that although the business had received fewer orders than in the previous year, workers’ welfare was still ensured, with Tết bonuses expected to be paid to employees’ bank accounts by January 26, 2024.

The company’s trade union had seven meetings with the board of directors to maintain the bonus in the same range as last year.

The trade unions of other businesses, such as Pouyuen Vietnam Co Ltd in HCM City, are also negotiating to ensure Tết bonuses for workers.

According to Vũ Thế Vân, trade union chairwoman of HCM City Export Processing and Industrial Zones Authority (HEPZA), businesses have been in a bleak situation this year with fewer orders and reduced working hours.

Therefore, the optimal bonus amount the trade union was expecting was an average one-month salary for workers, Vân said.

HEPZA trade union also plans to support companies in extremely difficult situations through different means such as giving out transport tickets, discount vouchers, or cash or in-kind gifts for their employees.

HCM City Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs will also spend VNĐ71 billion ($2.92 million) for around 139,000 people affected by layoffs or in a disadvantaged situation, alongside the support from the city’s Fatherland Front Committee.

Since the beginning of 2023, the labour market had been affected by the shortage of orders, especially in the industries of textile, footwear, electronics and optical product manufacturing, said the Hà Nội Federation of Labour, adding that the situation had been improving since September but the recovery was not entirely sustainable.

Việt Nam General Federation of Labour had required that trade unions of all levels be proactive in working with businesses to approve and announce plans for salary and bonus payment to workers at least 20 days before the Tết holiday.

Inspections will be carried out by the labour, invalids and social affairs departments of 24 districts and Thủ Đức City in HCM City, alongside two management boards of industrial parks and export processing zones.

They will survey the plans for Tết bonus and salary payments at approximately 300 businesses.

HCM City Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs also requested companies to make full and timely payments to workers for the New Year and Tết holidays, avoiding delays that may lead to disputes at the workplace.

In case the business has difficulty paying wages and bonuses, it must work with its workforce representative and the local labour management agency to devise alternative plans to support workers.

Việt Nam General Confederation of Labour vice chairman Ngọ Duy Hiểu said that some businesses had been seeing lower demands or were less resilient due to the prolonged effects of the pandemic.

While the Tết bonus is not mandatory according to the Labour Code, it goes beyond financial support and acts as an effective instrument to boost workers’ spirit, productivity and retention rate.

The general federation also recommends that businesses announce their Tết bonus plans no later than January 19, 2024.

In addition to surveys and reports on bonus and salary payments as well as labour relations at the local level, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) will monitor the decrease in orders and employment across various sectors.

The MoLISA also ordered the Department of Employment and local employment service centres to connect job seekers to suitable opportunities, implement unemployment insurance policies and provide consultancy and training support for workers. 

My Thuan-Can Tho Expressway to be opened to traffic this Sunday

My Thuan-Can Tho Expressway, which connects the Mekong Delta provinces of Vinh Long and Dong Thap, is set to be opened to traffic on Sunday, December 24.
The Ministry of Transport has asked the My Thuan Project Management Board to promptly complete the necessary procedures for the expressway’s operation.

Having a total length of nearly 23 kilometers and costing over VND4,800 billion, the expressway has taken three years to build.

The opening of the expressway will coincide with the inauguration of the My Thuan 2 Bridge.

In its initial phase, the speed limit on the four-lane expressway is set at 80 kilometers per hour. In the second phase, it will be expanded to six lanes with the speed limit increased to 100 kilometers per hour.

The My Thuan-Can Tho Expressway will connect with the HCMC-Trung Luong, Trung Luong-My Thuan expressways, and the My Thuan 2 Bridge, forming a comprehensive expressway route from HCMC to Can Tho.

This development is expected to significantly reduce travel time between the two cities to around two hours, contributing to the socio-economic development of the Mekong Delta region.

Đà Nẵng Asian Film Festival to bestow the first film achievement award

With the theme “Asian Bridges”, Đà Nẵng Asian Film Festival (DANAFF) will take place from July 2 to July 6, expecting to attract thousands of attendees to Đà Nẵng. 

DANAFF is presided over by Đà Nẵng People's Committee and co-organised by Đà Nẵng Department of Culture and Sports, Việt Nam Film Development Association (VFDA), and other foreign partners.

The festival aims to support emerging talent in Vietnamese and Asian cinema and to provide the public with new high-calibre cinematographic works from Asian and Vietnamese films, as well as a few international releases.

Ngô Phương Lan, VFDA chairwoman, highlighted the festival as a celebration of the finest in Asian and Vietnamese cinema, as well as a forum to build relationships in the film industry between Vietnam and the Asia-Pacific region.

DANAFF will be attended by Asian and international movie stars, famous Vietnamese filmmakers and artists, international and domestic VIP guests, and young filmmakers whose works are featured.

The in-competition section is divided into two categories; Asian Film Awards, including feature-length films from cinemas in the Asia-Pacific region produced from February 2023 to March 2024, and Vietnam Film Awards, with Vietnamese feature films produced from January 2023 to April 2024.

Other additional awards without prize money are the NETPAC Award for Best Vietnamese Film, decided by the NETPAC Jury, selected in the Vietnamese in-competition films, and the audience’s choice award for the favourite Vietnamese film. 

Especially, for the first time in Việt Nam, DANAFF will award the Film Achievement Award to an excellent filmmaker who has made tireless contributions to Việt Nam’s cinema sector. 

The film festival will have three jury panels including the Asian film jury, the Vietnamese film jury, and the NETPAC jury – each jury includes Vietnamese and internationally renowned experts, actors and filmmakers.

In the Asian In-competition Films Category, the Grand Prize for Best Film will receive 5,000 USD.

Besides activities for in-competition films, the film festival will feature screenings of today's Vietnamese cinema and Đà Nẵng cinema, as well as selected films from celebrated director Đặng Nhật Minh and those of foreign partners.

There are also international seminars, talks, and Talent Incubator workshops.

Last year, the festival took place from May 9 to 13, with the participation of renowned arthouse Korean actress Moon So Ri, Korean director Jang Joon Hwan, Kazakhstan director Adilkhan Yerzhanov, and the Vice President of communications of the Asia-Pacific Region for the Motion Picture Association International, Stephen Jenner. 

The best Asian film was bestowed to the documentary film titled Những Đứa Trẻ Trong Sương (Children of the Mist) by Vietnamese director Hà Lệ Diễm. 

The deadlines for Vietnamese and Asian films to submit to DANAFF are April 30, 2024, and March 15, 2024, respectively. Further information can be found at https://vfda.vn/.

Conference seeks to promote tourism linkages between Vietnam's coastal provinces, India

The Consulate General of India in Ho Chi Minh City and the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the south-central province of Binh Thuan on December 22 organised a conference to promote tourism linkages between India and Vietnam’s coastal provinces.

At the event, participants introduced the tourism strengths and potential of Binh Thuan and India, their new tourism products and trade cooperation.

Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Lan Ngoc said that with the advantages of a long coastline, beautiful beaches, nature reserves, and typical cultural festivals, Binh Thuan has emerged to become a safe, friendly tourist destination which is liked by both domestic and international tourists.

Binh Thuan now has about 600 accommodation establishments with a total of nearly 19,000 rooms, 557 apartments and 462 villas. Along with high-end tourism products such as golf, luxury beach resorts, marine sports tourism, and off-road sports tourism, Binh Thuan is developing tourism product lines such as green tourism, tourism activities combined with natural resources preservation and environmental protection, cultural tourism products associated with festivals, sightseeing and experiencing the daily life of local people. The province has also promotes the development of eco-tourism, adventure tourism, and wellness tourism.

In 2023, Binh Thuan welcomed about 8.3 million visitors, including about 220,000 foreigners. The number of visitors to the province increased by 16.28% a year and the number of foreign tourists doubled a year, including those from India.

The official said that India is a large market that Binh Thuan’s tourism industry is aiming at. The province hopes that Indian travel companies will pay more attention to Binh Thuan in particular and Vietnam in general.

She said it is expected that Binh Thuan will have an airport with a capacity to welcome about 2 million passengers per year, which will help the province to attract more foreign tourists.

Pankaj Kumar, a representative of the Consulate General of India in Ho Chi Minh City, said that Binh Thuan and India have cultural similarities. The province has strengths in sea, islands, forests, lakes and waterfalls to organise outdoor activities.

He said Indian tourists are interested in outdoor activities and exploring local culture.

Participants at the event proposed solutions to connect with the Indian market and attract more tourists from the South Asian country.

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