Transportation authorities and service providers in Ho Chi Minh City are gearing up to accommodate the anticipated rise in passenger demand during the upcoming New Year holiday.

According to the 2023-2024 winter flight schedule, a total of 53 airlines are set to operate at Tan Son Nhat international airport, averaging 710 daily departures and arrivals.

During the peak holiday season spanning from December 23, 2023 to January 2, 2024, the airport is expected to handle a daily volume of flights ranging between 680 and 740, catering to an estimated 110,000-120,000 passengers per day.

Thai Van Truyen, CEO of the Saigon Railway Transport JSC, revealed that there remains many train tickets available for the New Year holiday season across all routes and dates. In addition to the daily train services, the company is gearing up to meet travel demand by running extra services connecting with popular tourist destinations in the south central region such as Phan Thiet in Binh Thuan, Nha Trang in Khanh Hoa, and Quy Nhon.

At inter-provincial bus stations, the number of passengers is expected to rise annually by some 25-40% during the holiday.

Coal mine collapse leaves seven injured, one missing

A coal mine in the northern province of Quang Ninh has collapsed, leaving seven workers injured and one missing, according to local news reports.

The collapse occurred at the Coc Sau coal mine, the oldest and deepest coal mine in the province, at a depth of 270 meters below sea level.

Local authorities said that one worker is still missing while the two injured individuals have been hospitalized. Four other workers affected by the incident have also been taken to the hospital for check-ups.

Coc Sau coal mine is the deepest in Quang Ninh, with its bottom 300 meters below sea level. This year, the mine looks to turn out 1.5 million tons of coal.

Conference spotlights achievements, outlook of Vietnam-India ties

Vietnamese and Indian scholars and experts gathered at a conference in Hanoi on December 22 to discuss achievements of the Vietnam-India relations over the past 50 years and outlook for the bilateral ties in the future.

Participants agreed that Vietnam and India have shared a time-honoured relationship with strong connections in history and culture.

The modern stage of bilateral ties is closely attached with the name of President Ho Chi Minh.

Former Foreign Minister Nguyen Dy Nien, the first Vietnamese diplomat deployed to India to set up Vietnamese Consulate General, underlined that the Vietnam-India relationship is a special one. India provided Vietnam with great support during the past struggle for independence, he said.

Participants affirmed that despite considerable instability in the world, the solidarity and strong trust between the two countries have provided both sides with encouragement and confidence to overcome the current period.

Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Sandeep Arya underlined that India and Vietnam shared a similarity in promoting technology with the establishment of special task forces to make full use of the technological development during the growth process in each country.

At the event, participants also highlighted the potential of cooperation between the two sides in various fields, including digital transformation.

They emphasised that as both countries are striving for net-zero emissions, their experience in national energy transition can be helpful for each other, including models and policies regarding electricity auctions, power grid management, electricity purchasing and electric vehicle use encouragement.

Lao Cai principal resigns as police investigate student meals cut

The principal of Hoang Thu Pho 1 Primary School in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai has resigned as police launched an investigation into the poor meals given to students.

Principal of Hoang Thu Pho 1 Primary School, Tran Ngoc Ha, speaks at a meeting with le Lao Cai Provincial Department of Education and Training and the Bac Ha District People’s Committee on the issue on December 17. Photo by Bao Lao Cai.

Bac Ha District People's Committee announced on Friday that Tran Ngoc Ha had submitted his resignation letter on December 21 in which he said he would take responsibility for his leadership and management, which had caused a negative public reaction.

Ha was earlier suspended on December 17 after a report by Vietnam Television (VTV) disclosed that 173 students at his school had been given poor meals following the ingredients being reduced by two-thirds compared to what was written on the menus.

In its Friday announcement, the committee confirmed that all information in the VTV's report was accurate.

The committee's checks following VTV's report found various violations at the school. The principal had not signed any food purchase documents, and the cash payment receipt had no figures indicating the money or the principal’s signature.

The school also failed to send the leftover money to the families of the students during the days students didn't eat at the school as regulated by the government's policy.

While students are receiving VND150,000 per month to buy textbooks and other study tools, the school only bought new textbooks for students in grade 4 while those in grades 1, 2, 3, and 5 were using old books. Meanwhile, the leftover money hadn't been sent to parents as stipulated in the regulations.

Police are further investigating the case.

Hoang Thu Pho 1 Primary School was among those schools in difficult areas which received financial support from the government. Each student in these schools is given free accommodation at school, VND720,000 per month in cash and 15 kilos of rice monthly for meals.

VTV calculated that based on the meals seen at the school, the school is only spending some VND 40 million from the VND 120 million the government provides monthly to the students.

Trafficked wallabies die in Lao Cai rescue centre

Two of four wallabies recently trafficked into Vietnam have died a short time after being sent to the Hoang Lien Rescue and Conservation Centre in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai.

La Van Toi, the centre's director, told the media on December 22 that the two male wallabies died on December 8 and 12.

"They both developed breathing difficulties before dying, which might have been caused by the cold weather," Toi said. "Two others including a male and a female are still in good health."

The official added that they've contacted a firm to import grass from Australia which is the wallabies' favourite food but the products haven't arrived yet.

The four animals were brought to the centre in late November after being spotted hopping along a roadside in the neighbouring Cao Bang Province earlier the same month.

They are living in a 200-square-metre semi-wild area. The caged area also has a heater which helps keep them warm in the cold winter weather.

Toi said that the animals have three meals a day, consisting of 70 percent hay, and 30 percent fresh vegetables and fruits.

Experts said that the four wallabies, which weigh between eight and nine kilos, might have been brought from Australia by traffickers who were transporting them to China.

Former building manager sentenced to prison for negligence in deadly fire

The HCM City People’s Court on Friday sentenced Nguyễn Quốc Tuấn, former head of the Management Board of the Carina apartment in HCM City, to eight years in prison for violations of fire prevention and fire fighting that caused a deadly fire that resulted in 13 deaths and 72 injuries.

The court also sentenced Nguyễn Văn Tùng, former director of Hùng Thanh Company, the apartment building’s developer, to six years and six months in prison for the same crime.

According to the court, Tuấn, the former head of the Management Board, played a primary role in the deadly fire, and therefore should bear higher responsibility than the building’s developer.

The judges found that Tùng and Tuấn had been assigned the duty to ensure the safety of the apartment building. However, when they discovered that the building’s fire protection and prevention system was not working, they did not promptly replace or fix it. 

In addition, Tùng allowed another building management unit to borrow a pressure pump, leaving the Carina apartment building without a pump to control the fire when it broke out.

The cause of the fire was determined to be a malfunction in the electrical system of a vehicle, according to the police investigation. 

The fire started at midnight on March 23, 2018, from a scooter in the building’s basement parking lot and spread for over 13 minutes without any alert as residents were asleep. 

The fire quickly spread, resulting in the deaths and significant property damage.

The developer of the apartment complex has compensated victims of the fire with over VNĐ108 billion. 

The court concluded that Tùng was aware of the non-functioning fire alarm and fire fighting system but did not request for it to be repaired or replaced, while Tuấn, as the head of the building’s management board, did not fulfill his responsibilities in managing the safety systems.

The court also stated that for some absent victims, or those present but with insufficient evidence for compensation, their cases would be separated into civil lawsuits.

The trial resumed on Thursday after an eight-month delay.

Diplomatic achievements bring about new opportunities for Vietnam: RoK expert

Vietnam’s diplomatic sector has reaped positive results in 2023, stated Assistant Professor Beak Yong-Hun from the School of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies under the Republic of Korea (RoK)’s Dankook University.

Talking to Vietnam News Agency, Beak highlighted Vietnam’s upgrade of its ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership level with the US in September and Japan in November.

Along with the previously established comprehensive strategic partnership frameworks with China, Russia, and the RoK Korea, new developments in 2023 show that Vietnam is continuing to pursue a balanced foreign policy, imbued with the identity of "bamboo diplomacy".

According to the expert on Vietnamese studies, strengthening diplomatic relations with the US and Japan helps Vietnam promote cooperation in various fields such as trade and technology, and exchange culture and human resources, thus opening up new opportunities and boosting the country’s economic growth.

In the context of US-China trade competition, Vietnam's strategic role as an important link in the global supply chain is being further promoted, and the country is also considered a good destination attracting foreign investment into Southeast Asia, Beak stated.

He said that an important result in upgrading relations between Vietnam and the US is that the two sides agreed to cooperate in developing science and technology and the semiconductor industry. As a result, Vietnam will have favourable conditions to develop training of highly skilled human resources, digital economy and green economy, and to focus on artificial intelligence (AI), energy transition and health care.

As for its relations with Japan, cooperating with Vietnam helps Japan diversify its supply chain, and reduce dependence on China, while Vietnam can also diversify markets and supply sources, and reduce excessive dependence on one partner.

Regarding the RoK-Vietnam relations, it is necessary to establish a cooperation roadmap that the two countries can share, focusing on promoting future cooperation such as green growth and the development of high value-added industries such as information technology. To that end, upgrading and transferring technology based on the RoK's advanced technological capabilities will be one of the important fields.

It is necessary to have official information exchange channels to help minimise false and negative information related to economic issues and multicultural families, and increase positive information to enhance mutual understanding, he said.

In cooperation towards the future, the role of the young generation of the two countries is very important, contributing to promoting the bilateral relationship. Therefore, supporting the development of the Vietnamese language and Vietnamese studies is also important in promoting further interest in this language and Vietnamese people in the RoK, Beak added.

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.

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

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.

VNU-HCM targets young scientists, experts

From now to 2030, Việt Nam National University HCM City (VNU-HCM) aims to attract about 350 outstanding young scientists and leading experts to support its target to be among the leading higher education institutions in Asia.

At its annual conference to review its activities in 2022 and discuss plans for 2023 held on Friday (December 22), the VNU-HCM chancellor Vũ Hải Quân said that 2024 will be a very important year, and pivotal to determining the success of achieving goals in the period of 2021-25.

It is also the first year of implementing the development strategy of VNU-HCM in the 2021-30 period, with a vision to 2045.

“One of the key tasks next year is to implement the project of attracting, retaining and developing outstanding young scientists and leading experts working at VNU-HCM,” Quân said.

VNU-HCM will officially begin a number of new, interdisciplinary and inter-university training programmes to meet the country's development needs, such as semiconductor technology-Integrated circuit design, new energy technology and green growth models.

The university will increase the number of postgraduate students and scientific articles published in international journals by postgraduate students.

It will proactively develop a number of interdisciplinary research topics and projects in accordance with its development strategy.

It will continue to increase the number of international publications in the Scopus catalog, effectively deploy programmes of national-level science and technology research, establish an innovation centre, and prioritise investment in laboratories serving for research and interdisciplinary training.

It also targets to complete a project to increase revenue from scientific research, product transfer and commercialisation, and establish university spin-off companies under the VNU-HCM.

Lê Thị Anh Trâm, Head of the Department of Organisation and Personnel at VNU-HCM, said the university seeks to attract about 100 scientists and experts in the next two years, and an additional 250 in the period of 2025-30.

In order to attract and retain talent, the university has announced its remuneration policies, such as attractive salaries, career growth and a good working environment, among many others, she said.

It also announced specific conditions and standards for scientific research achievements. 

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.

Bạc Liêu Province works hard to increase value of salt output

Bạc Liêu Province has been making efforts to increase the value of salt made locally by improving production infrastructure and promoting sales to improve the lives of farmers.

With a coastline of 56km and ideal weather, the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province has 1,500ha of salt fields, including 1,200ha in Đông Hải District. It has made salt for over 100 years, and its products are well-known nationwide for their deliciousness.

However, salt production faces difficulties such as more infrastructure, warehousing facilities, reliable outlets, and deep processing.

Trần Văn Thưa, chairman of the Doanh Điền Cooperative, which produces salt in Đông Hải District’s Điền Hải Commune, said besides being dependent on weather conditions, members also face an unstable pricing situation due to the lack of linkages between the stakeholders involved in its production and sale.

He said that without such linkages, the co-operative is compelled to sell to traders. 

The profitability of breeding shrimps is high, prompting many salt farmers to switch to farming the crustacean, according to Thưa.

The salt fields in the province have thus reduced from more than 3,000 hectares in 2011 to 1,411 hectares last year.

Phạm Văn Thiều, chairman of the province People’s Committee, said besides shrimp and rice, salt-making is also a strength of the province’s agriculture.

He said investment in infrastructure for salt production is necessary.

In recent years, the province has implemented various policies and measures to invest in infrastructure and sustain the salt-making occupation.

The People’s Committee has approved a project aimed at improving the value of salt production and processing to be carried out from 2021 to 2030. Under the project, the province aims to maintain its salt-making areas at about 1,600ha, investing in infrastructure and incorporating advanced technologies.

The goal is to increase yields by 20 per cent and value by 30 per cent by 2030.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has granted the province VNĐ130 billion (US$5.3 million) to invest in infrastructure for salt production, encouraging farmers to preserve the occupation.

The province is expected to organise the 2024 Salt Festival in April next year to honour and encourage farmers. In the past, it has organised various events to promote its salt products, including “Space of culinary quintessence of Bạc Liêu’s shrimp and salt” in November 2022.

It produces various salt products, including iodised, shrimp, chilli, pepper, and vegetarian salts, many of which have been recognised under the national “One Commune - One Product” programme.

These products are sold nationwide and exported to markets with high-quality requirements, such as South Korea and Japan.

Farmers produce salt in the dry season between December and April, and their fields are among the province’s popular tourism destinations.

Đông Hải District is developing tourism services that allow visitors to experience salt production processes and produce more high-quality salt products.

Trần Tuấn Kiệt, chairman of its People’s Committee, said the district plans to develop salt production into a critical sector and invest in infrastructure for its development.

The province’s salt has received geographical indication status from the National Office of Intellectual Property, and its salt-making occupation has been recognised as a national intangible cultural heritage.

This year, according to its Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the province produced more than 27,000 tonnes of salt, including 7,300 tonnes of clean salt produced using plastic sheets to cover field beds. 

The plastic sheet method produces cleaner salt with a high yield of 37 tonnes per hectare per season, while the traditional production method only yields 17 tonnes.

Giang Út Đèo in Đông Hải District’s Điền Hải Commune said: “The price of salt made by using plastic sheets is higher than salt produced by the traditional method.

“The plastic sheet method [also] requires less labour than the traditional method.”

This year, the province has 767 households with 1,520 workers making salt.

Cà Mau to build brands, labels for OCOP products

With rich natural conditions, Cà Mau has significant potential in agricultural, forestry, and fisheries production to create OCOP (One Commune One Product) products.

To leverage this potential, the province has recently issued many supportive policies to build brands and labels for OCOP products.

Consequently, several OCOP products have been granted geographical indications, certifications, and collective trademarks, enhancing the value of local speciality products in the market.

In the nearly four years of implementing the OCOP programme, Cà Mau Province has been focusing on harnessing local advantages and potential.

This includes meeting all criteria and regulations on product quality and identifying them as core values to build a brand.

As a pioneering cooperative in developing specialty products in Ngọc Hiển district, in recent years, Tân Phát Lợi Cooperative has not only invested in building modern infrastructure such as workshops, cold storage warehouses, solar drying houses, cake steaming machines, and vacuum packing machines, but has also emphasised building a brand.

Currently, over ten OCOP three-star products have been developed.

Bùi Văn Chương, Director of Tân Phát Lợi Cooperative, said that one of the solutions to increase product competitiveness in the market, besides improving quality, is focusing on the design and packaging of products.

Each product is equipped with barcodes, QR codes, and complete information to reassure customers when choosing the product.

The goal is to provide well for the domestic market and aim for exports to challenging and potential markets.

"In 2023, the cooperative's goal is to upgrade dried shrimp products from three stars to four stars to bring the product to the international market," stated Chương.

Lê Hoài Phương, Deputy Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Ngọc Hiển District, said that local authorities have been implementing various activities to support producers and cooperatives in improving production capacity, developing brands and designs, improving product models and packaging to meet the strict standards of major markets, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of local products.

According to the Department of Science and Technology of Cà Mau province, 14 entities with OCOP products currently use collective trademarks, eight entities use certification marks, and 30 OCOP entities have registered common trademarks for protection.

In the 2021-2025 period, the department continues to implement a programme to support businesses in improving productivity and quality based on the province's scientific, technological, and innovative foundation.

Thanks to these efforts, the programme has supported 15 OCOP entities in building and applying management systems, such as the ISO 22000:2018 food safety management system and the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system.

Additionally, 17 OCOP entities have been supported in upgrading product profiles, focusing on management criteria such as style, product labelling, intellectual property ownership, product quality assurance, and product packaging.

To support OCOP entities in building successful brands, Phan Tấn Thanh, Director of the Department of Science and Technology of Cà Mau province, said that the department had organised numerous workshops and training sessions to discuss solutions and guide OCOP entities on labelling regulations, the application of barcodes/QR codes for source tracing, industrial property rights registration, and the proper representation of protected logos on packaging and labels.

Additionally, regular collaboration with relevant authorities and OCOP entities has been established to exchange solutions for developing collective trademarks, certification marks, geographical indications, and products associated with the province's OCOP programme through cooperative production and consumption linked to protected products in the value chain.

Promotion and advertising of intellectual property assets have been protected as well.

To overcome the issue of seasonal oversupply leading to price drops for agricultural products in general and OCOP products in particular, Cà Mau has identified product linkages in production and consumption as crucial.

This ensures sales outlets and significantly reduces input costs, increasing the competitiveness of goods in the market.

It also helps promote the application of advanced technology in production to exploit the potential and advantages of the locality, gradually moving towards a modern, sustainable, and efficient production system in the future.

From 2021 to now, Cà Mau has recorded 63 products from 45 OCOP entities on the province's source traceability information portal. Thanh said that this initiative aims to create a transparent information exchange environment, address incidents, and promptly take corrective measures to identify the origin of products.

This improves farmers' rights and simplifies the process of recording production logs and reporting work results for farmers.

Moreover, when products reach consumers, it is easy to look up information about the product's origin, allowing for the selection of genuine products and facilitating the verification of product origin information, which, step by step, can resolve situations where the source of the product is unclear.

This process positively influences the reputation of Cà Mau's OCOP products.

Digital transformation in promoting and consuming OCOP products in the province has also achieved positive results.

Buying and selling on e-commerce platforms, non-cash payments, electronic invoices, electronic tax payments, barcodes and QR codes for source tracing are becoming more convenient and developing rapidly.

Trương Hà Phương Anh, Deputy Director in charge of the Center for Initial Promotion and Business Support of Cà Mau province (iPEC), stated that based on this premise, OCOP and speciality products in the province have appeared on the province's e-commerce platforms, namely Madeincamau.com and Postmart; together with major domestic and international e-commerce platforms including Sendo, Shopee, Lazada, Tiki, Alibaba and Amazon.

Some OCOP entities have boldly transitioned from traditional sales channels to online platforms by joining TikTok.

Detection, prevention of tuberculosis improves in Việt Nam

Việt Nam has a high number of tuberculosis (TB) patients, and a large number of cases with high risk of infection in the community, so proactively detecting the disease at grassroots levels is extremely important.

Đinh Văn Lượng, Director of the National Lung Hospital and Head of the Executive Committee of the National Tuberculosis Programme, made the statement at the national conference to summarise the anti-tuberculosis programme this year and set plans for 2024.

The conference, which attracted representatives from all 63 provinces and cities, was held in Hà Nội on Friday.

He highly appreciated provinces and cities' efforts and results in controlling TB this year.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said that last year, about 174,000 new TB patients were discovered, and 11,000 people died from the disease in Việt Nam.

In the first nine months this year, the anti-tuberculosis programme detected 78,674 cases of TB of different kinds, an increase of 1,909 compared with the same period last year and 19,214 compared with 2021.

Detection of multidrug-resistant TB in the first nine months this year was 2,764 patients; which was nine per cent, 44 per cent and four per cent higher than in 2020, 2021 and last year, respectively.

Lượng said that the number of people dying from TB each year was very high, even higher than deaths from traffic accidents.

Associate professor Nguyễn Bình Hòa, Deputy Director of the National Lung Hospital, said that like other countries in the world, TB prevention in Việt Nam was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"What is worrying is that each year, Việt Nam has more than 170,000 TB cases, but only about 100,000 are treated and reported. Thus, about 40 per cent of TB patients who have not been detected are in the community, leaving a potential risk of infection," he said.

Besides difficulties, this year, the anti-tuberculosis programme initially achieved positive achievements in applying artificial intelligence to TB diagnosis.

It brings great significance to TB detection, especially in cases that are difficult to assess.

The national anti-tuberculosis programme has made efforts to maintain TB prevention in all districts, communes and wards.

The programme’s report showed that the total number of TB patients detected by public and private health facilities in the first nine months this year was 26,300 patients, accounting for 33.4 per cent of the total.

Thus, detection at medical facilities clearly showed effectiveness.

Director Lượng said that when people come for an initial medical examination, they would receive TB screening and screening for lung diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, and lung cancer.

Đà Nẵng to raise support levels, expand social protection beneficiaries

The Đà Nẵng People’s Council has decided to increase support levels and expand social protection beneficiaries to ensure social security.

The decision amended and supplemented Resolution 34/2021/NQ-HĐND, issued on August 12, 2021.

Under its decision, elderly individuals aged 75 to 80 without a pension, social insurance, or monthly allowance will be issued health insurance.

Upon their demise, the support for funeral costs will be increased to a level that is 20 times higher than the current amount.

People with cancer or chronic kidney failure certified by competent health agencies and without pension, salary, social insurance or monthly allowance are eligible to receive support 1.5 times higher than the current level.

They will also receive health insurance and funeral cost support upon death equal to 20 times the current rate.

The same support will be delivered to people with mild disabilities who are the third generation of soldiers in the resistance wars infected with toxic chemicals.

Đà Nẵng now has over 12,500 elderly people.

Each year, the city spends about VNĐ60 billion (US$2.4 million) to support them with VNĐ400,000 ($16) per person per month.

In particular, the city spent more than VNĐ4 billion ($163,300) for 850 elderly people aged 75-80 without pensions or monthly social insurance.

Under the decision from the Đà Nẵng People’s Council, poor households are also supported to build new houses at VNĐ80 million ($3,200) per house. Previously the support level was VNĐ50 million.

Housing repair support will cost VNĐ30 million ($1,200) per house. Previously the support level was VNĐ20 million.

Within three years after escaping from poverty based on the city's regulations, households can still borrow capital with loan and interest rates applicable to low-income families.

Households with an average living standard are supported with loans like the programmes for poor households regulated by the national standards. 

Regional planning must deliberately consider overall benefits: Deputy PM

Planning in the northern midland and mountainous regions requires a scientific and comprehensive approach to accurately assess their role and position in the country's overall development.

Deputy Prime Minister Trần Hồng Hà made the statement on Thursday while chairing the session of the Appraisal Council for the planning of the northern midland and mountainous regions for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision towards 2050 in Hà Nội.

The Deputy PM emphasised that regional planning is a crucial management tool for the regional coordination council, serving as a foundation for cohesive and unified implementation, preventing conflicts and overlaps between local planning and others.

He said the planning process needs to be reassessed by examining and evaluating the practicalities, current conditions, and the implementation of previous development strategies, plans and schemes.

In addition, there is a need to identify and fully assess the potential of natural resources and minerals, as well as the cultural and historical values, climate and unique natural landscapes.

Furthermore, planning should evaluate the strategic role and position in ensuring national defence and security, protecting water sources and forests. It should also consider the region as a gateway connecting with dynamic economic zones at both regional and global levels.

The northern midland and mountainous regions hold special strategic importance as the northern gateway of the country, bordering major economic zones. They play a crucial role in supplying water and controlling floods downstream, boasting rich resources, unique landscapes, and cultural diversity among ethnic groups.

However, these regions face limitations in internal and interregional transportation connectivity. Economic growth is uneven, and the quality of the labour force is low, with a declining trend in the proportion of trained workers compared to the national average. Poverty rates also remain high.

Analysing the issues related to infrastructure, deputy PM emphasised the need for thorough research on the feasibility and economic efficiency of various transportation methods including road, waterway, railway and air to connect and form economic corridors, regional and interregional value chains.

In rural development, he called for the organisation of concentrated residential areas with comprehensive investments in infrastructure, facilitating favourable conditions for people's living and production. These areas should be well cared for regarding healthcare and education to ensure security and safety in border regions.

Regarding mechanisms and policies for remote, highland, and border areas, special attention and priority are essential, along with coordinated solutions and resources to ensure the people's livelihoods and protect national border security.

Discussing economically advantageous sectors, the deputy PM suggested a shift towards sustainable hydropower exploitation, water resource protection, and integrating solar power with hydropower.

The forestry sector should focus on sustainable and comprehensive forest exploitation and conservation areas linked to natural, community, cultural, historical, and agricultural tourism models, supported by state assistance in workforce training and infrastructure.

Selecting mineral processing industries that are clean and suitable for the transition of industrial zones from the delta regions is also recommended.

The deputy PM also proposed that the planning consultancy unit research and consider feedback on promoting long-term education and workforce training by population distribution principles. In the short term, efforts should be made to enhance education accessibility and career orientation.

Scientific criteria for natural geography, politics, economics, culture, and society should be established when determining sub-regions and economic corridors. The strategy includes opening up additional pathways to the sea.

"The planning of the northern midland and mountainous regions must reveal hidden values, promote the potential of green resources, unique cultural and historical values, and highlight features in each sub-region to attract long-term investment from businesses," he said.

The consulting unit proposes dividing the area into four sub-regions. 

The western sub-region will focus on sustainable agriculture, ecotourism, and clean energy development. 

The northwestern sub-region is envisioned as a large-scale tourism area and an economic and cultural hub connecting with provinces in the southwestern part of China. 

The northeastern sub-region will be a centre for industry, education, healthcare, and tourism resources. 

The eastern sub-region will feature an industrial hub connected with economic and cultural exchanges with provinces in southern China.

The economic corridors of the northern midland and mountainous regions include Hà Nội-Hoà Bình, Lào Cai-Hà Nội-Hải Phòng, Hà Nội-Phú Thọ-Tuyên Quang-Hà Giang, Hà Nội-Thái Nguyên-Bắc Kạn-Cao Bằng, Hà Nội-Bắc Giang-Lạng Sơn. 

International Solar Alliance launches Asia Pacific edition of SolarX Challenge

The International Solar Alliance (ISA) launched the SolarX Startup Challenge for the Asia-Pacific region at COP28 in Dubai, showcasing its commitment to fostering entrepreneurship and driving solar projects in the region.

The initiative aims to cultivate scalable business models, accelerate global energy transitions, and bridge energy and investment gaps.

Under the SolarX Startup Challenge, 20 startups from across the Asia-Pacific region will be selected, each receiving a US$15,000 cash grant, totalling US$300,000.

This initiative, symbolising a commitment to excellence, provides a transformative platform for entrepreneurial success, innovation, and strategic networking.

Successful entrepreneurs will undergo an intensive acceleration programme and receive mentorship from seasoned professionals. To facilitate market penetration and expansion, SolarX winners will be connected with potential investors and granted access to diverse markets within the Asia-Pacific region.

“The SolarX Startup Challenge epitomises our commitment to accelerating solar deployment in the Asia-Pacific region. We recognise the unique challenge of developing projects in economies requiring renewable energy. ISA is addressing this challenge from both ends. We are collaborating with governments to establish favourable policies and, through SolarX, attracting investments to create a demand where there was none,” said Dr. Ajay Mathur, director general of the ISA.

“ISA has established a Global Solar Facility to unlock investments, and by cultivating entrepreneurs, we aim to foster locally relevant business models and create a robust project pipeline. Through entrepreneurship, finance, and increased investments, we anticipate a transformative shift in enabling a swift energy transition. Our vision is to nurture a new generation of leaders shaping the future of solar energy and contributing to global climate action,” Mathur said.

The ‘Solar for She’ programme, launched alongside SolarX, aims to encourage more women-led startups, building on the success seen in the Africa leg of SolarX.

The Sequoia Climate Foundation is supporting the Asia-Pacific edition of the SolarX challenge.

Christie Ulman, President of Sequoia Climate Foundation, said, “Sequoia Climate Foundation looks forward to continuing its partnership with ISA in championing the widespread deployment of clean, affordable energy solutions across ISA’s member countries, which is critically important to the global energy transition. To that end, we are excited to partner with ISA to launch the Asia Pacific edition of the SolarX Challenge, which supports solar scale-up and capacity building in the Asia Pacific region and beyond.”

Following the success of SolarX Africa, which received 182 applications from 28 countries and produced 20 winning companies, including seven women-led ventures, ISA anticipates that the Asia-Pacific region will play a crucial role in ushering in a sustainable and low-carbon future.

ISA is an international organisation with 118 Member and Signatory countries. It works with governments to ease solar deployment and promote solar power as a sustainable transition to a carbon-neutral future. 

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