A seminar on the circular economy is held at the launch of the Da Nang Circular Economy Hub (Photo: Da Nang Circular Economy Hub)

The Da Nang Business Incubator (DNES), in cooperation with the Accelerator Lab (AccLab) in Vietnam, which is also part of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) global network of 90 AccLabs, has launched the Da Nang Circular Economy Hub and Boot Camp to support innovative projects in the city and central Vietnam.

The hub, which debuted in the city on November 11, aims to help talented people with innovative projects in improving solid waste treatment and promoting sustainable consumption in communities in central Vietnam.

The Da Nang Circular Economy will select environmental ‘messengers’ to join green avenger programmes within the framework of the Da Nang Economic Circulation Network project.

It is estimated that between now and 2050, the total amount of solid waste in urban areas worldwide will increase by about 70 percent, while the amount of plastic waste dumped into the sea would overtake the number of fish.

Sitara Syed, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Vietnam, said: “Da Nang Circular Economy Hub (DCEH) will focus on people and resources for sustainable development and circular economic practice in the central region, as well as development of current solid waste treatment systems and advocacy for green consumption. From there, we will see the positive benefits for the environment and the community of this system in the future."

Nguyen Tuan Luong, a representative from UNDP, said: “In 2020, the world and Vietnam have suffered many natural disasters, especially the most recent is the historic flooding in the Central region. The DCEH will be a platform for dedicated people, connecting projects and creating innovative solutions for the environment to cope with the current situations.”

“In the distant future, DCEH promises to become a powerful network thanks to the enthusiastic individuals who commit to work for the sustainable development of Da Nang, thereby spreading inspiration in the central region."

The selection programme began on October 21 and will run until November 6, and 30 selected attendees will participate in five days of Boot Camp and plan to pursue the project for six months with the guidance of UNDP Accelerator Lab.

Projects selected through the programme will have a project implementation period until mid-2021 to spread the impact to the community, and this vision will be the foundation in forming a community network for innovative projects for environmental sustainability in the central provinces.

According to a report in 2016, Vietnam's urban solid waste totalled 11.6 million tonnes (an average of 0.33kg per person per day), which is forecast to double, to around 22 million tonnes by 2050.

The amount of plastic waste in the sea of Vietnam is currently ranked 4th in the world, with more than 1.83 million tonnes per year. The above problems have great pressure on the economy, and require it to change the development model. Therefore, an economy that is cyclical (a circular economy) is considered to be the best way to break the longstanding bonds between economic growth and negative environmental effects.

The circular economy helps promote economic development with reducing both resource extraction and waste to the environment.

The Accelerator Lab (AccLab) in Vietnam had helped build up a model of friendly garbage classification at living quarters in Cẩm Lệ District, and studying the informal waste collection ecosystem and the impact of COVID-19 on bottles.

Da Nang's business start-up ecosystem, which debuted in 2014 as a base for the younger generation to begin their careers, helped produce 300 start-up projects from the ecosystem’s co-working space.

In 2017, the Song Han Incubator Centre, which was the first private sector incubator, was founded as a consultancy for young people starting businesses.

The centre has supported 40 start-up projects in tourism in Da Nang and HCM City.

Digital technology contributes to smart city development

Digital technology had crept into all areas of smart cities and directly contributed to improving management efficiency and urban development.

Nguyen Huy Dung, deputy minister of information and communications, made the statement at the 4th Smart City Summit 2020 held in Hanoi early this week.

Organised by the Vietnam Association for Software and IT Services (VINASA), the event attracted some 1,000 attendants through virtual forms in 27 provinces and cities nationwide.

Dung said the project to develop smart and sustainable cities in Vietnam from 2018-25 period with a vision to 2030 was approved by the Prime Minister in August 2018. The project clarifies principles for building smart cities in the country as well as key tasks for each period.

In addition, the national digital transformation programme by 2025 with a vision to 2030 approved in June 2020 sets a target of developing a digital Government, the economy and society while establishing local digital firms in the world market.

He said the development of a smart city included the implementation of a digital government, digital economy and digital society.

Going "smart" was a development trend for all cities around the world and the Vietnamese Government had always emphasised that the development of smart cities was a breakthrough necessary for improving national competitiveness.

He added that from a policy perspective, smart cities would be a place for the pilot implementation of new services, models and policies through the use of new digital technologies.

In recent years, the ministry had proactively co-ordinated with relevant ministries, localities and several international agencies from Singapore and the Republic of Korea to enhance smart city development, he added.

The 2020 Smart City Summit was a great opportunity for management agencies, experts, speakers and enterprises from home and abroad to share and contribute their valuable experience in the building and development of smart cities, he said.

The MIC had promulgated an ICT reference framework for smart city development which was the basis for localities to build ICT architecture and deploy digital infrastructure for local smart city development.

Smart cities had been out front in applying the achievements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, he said.

There were many important factors in developing a smart city. However, infrastructure, an ICT platform and digital technology were considered key.

The deputy minister committed to accompany localities and the digital business community in developing smart cities in Vietnam, thus contributing to nationwide digital transformation.

Truong Gia Binh, VINASA’s chairman, said smart cities were a vital trend and an optimal solution to resolve the issues of rapid urbanisation. It would help urban areas maximise resources towards sustainable development, while better protecting the environment.

“The building of smart cities needs the participation of the Government, authorities, businesses and people,” Binh said.

Experts said Vietnam had proactively joined smart city networks in the region and around the world.

Vietnam has three cities that have joined the ASEAN smart city network since 2018 and nearly 40 localities implementing smart city models.

However, experts also pointed out that the actual implementation showed there were still many difficulties and challenges for city leaders, management agencies and businesses.

Nguyen Nhat Quang, VINASA’s vice chairman and chairman of Hai Hoa Software Technology Company, said in the context of Industry 4.0, building smart cities meant integrating digital technology to build a livable city. Technical solutions must be combined with construction and management solutions to maximise efficiency.

“The building of smart cities should ensure smart planning and follow technical standards,” Quang added.

Tran Quoc Thai, director of the Department for Urban Development under the Ministry of Construction, said they would focus on building a legal foundation and establishing and operating a database on digital urban spaces, while applying sustainable smart city planning./.

Japanese retailer MUJI to open flagship store in Vietnam

MUJI, the renowned Japanese home-and lifestyle-goods company, opened its first store in Vietnam at the Parkson Saigontourist Plaza Shopping Centre in HCM City's District 1, on November 27.

With an area of more than 2,000 sq.m, it will be its largest store in Southeast Asia.

As a flagship store, it will have features such as a coffee counter serving a selection of fine teas, coffees, pastries, and Japanese confectionery.

Among the products it will sell are natural honey and unique local products from the Co Tu Ethnic Minority Cooperative in central Quang Nam province's Nam Giang district.

Banking sector holds 8th patriotic emulation congress

The 8th patriotic emulation congress of the banking sector, for 2020-2025, took place in Hanoi on November 28 with the participation of National Assembly (NA) Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.

Opening the event, Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) Nguyen Thi Hong said between 2015 and 2020, the entire staff of the banking sector have brought into play the traditional solidarity and made efforts to fulfill tasks assigned by the Party and State.

The sector has actively engaged in emulation movements launched by the Prime Minister, especially the one on building new-style rural areas, she noted, elaborating that since 2011, 51 of its units have registered to support new-style countryside building in 152 communes of 34 districts in 45 provinces. Outstanding loans for communes nationwide had reached 1.2 quadrillion VND (52 billion USD) as of March 31 this year.

Besides, banking institutions have also been supporting the growth of Vietnamese enterprises by boosting administrative procedures, applying more information technology, and creating a favourable and fair environment for companies to access resources and business chances, according to Hong.

Addressing the congress, Chairwoman Ngan said despite numerous difficulties and challenges in recent years, under the Party’s clear-sighted and timely leadership, the NA’s support and supervision, and the Government’s drastic direction, the banking sector has shown proactive and flexible performance in steering the monetary and credit policies, as well as banking activities so as to achieve the consistent targets of keeping macro-economic stability, controlling inflation, tackling obstacles to production and business activities, and promoting economic growth.

The sector’s contributions have helped Vietnam obtain many positive economic outcomes, including an average annual GDP growth rate of 6.78 percent during 2016-2019, inflation kept at below 4 percent, and fruitful poverty reduction and social security programmes. Notably, amid the COVID-19 pandemic’s serious impact in 2020, GDP growth is still forecast to top 2 percent, showing the country’s big success in concurrently combating the pandemic and developing the economy, she noted.

The top legislator spoke highly of the sector’s reform and creativity in emulation and rewarding activities in recent years, especially the effective implementation of its emulation movements and those launched by the Government.

She asked the banking sector to continue studying and creatively applying late President Ho Chi Minh’s thinking on patriotic emulation, adding that it should regularly reform emulation campaigns which need to be associated with its targets and tasks.

The sector also needs to improve the quality of rewarding activities to ensure that reward is offered in an objective, precise, fair, and timely manner, the Chairwoman said.

In recognition of the banking sector’s achievements, Chairwoman Ngan presented the first-class Labour Order to the SBV branches in Ho Chi Minh City and Ben Tre province, Deputy Governors of the SBV Dao Minh Tu and Nguyen Kim Anh, and General Director of the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies Duong Quyet Thang.

The second- and third-class Labour Order was also presented to some individuals with outstanding performance over the past years.

Virus disruptions create opportunities for investment in innovation

The COVID-19 pandemic may have caused disruptions to start-ups and innovative enterprises, but it had also created opportunities for them to turn into real businesses.

At the Vietnam Venture Summit 2020 with the theme "Going Digital" in Hanoi on November 25, Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung said Vietnamese start-ups grew well last year with investments worth more than 800 million USD. However, the pandemic had completely changed the investment picture this year, revealing the limitations of many start-ups.

Local and foreign investors, funds and start-ups including Golden Gate Ventures, Softbank Venture, Sequoia, ADB Venture, Quiming Venture, VNG, Grab Vietnam, MoMo, GoJek, VNPay and Tiki Sendo represented the different sectors at the summit.

According to the National Centre for Innovation (NIC), Vietnam was a destination for international investors in both FDI and start-up and innovation.

Dung said: “This is the right time to continue connecting investors, financial funds and the innovative ecosystem in the region to expand opportunities for cooperation and investment.”

“It is also time for an initiative to attract innovation investment by the Government of Vietnam,” he added.

Though mentioning the pandemic's influence on many start-ups, Dung considered some business models and tech firms had become more attractive and grown rapidly. They included online meeting applications, distance teaching apps, e-commerce and logistics for e-commerce.

“This is a pivotal period for Vietnam, marking the beginning of a new development wave of the Vietnamese innovation ecosystem. It is time for the country to focus on promoting its creative capacity through science, technology and innovation, making it a driving force for rapid and sustainable economic development,” he said.

At the summit, Joonpyo Lee, CEO of SoftBank Venture Asia, said the pandemic had caused disruptions in many areas of the market but had also created an opportunity to turn new technologies into real businesses.”

The lock-down from the pandemic had limited travel but made online shopping, working remotely and transferring money online the best ways to survive, he said.

Changes in consumer behaviour had created great opportunities.

Lee said: "As a start-up investor, I see many opportunities in the transition, which is creating a legacy for the world.”

Nguyen Thai Hai Van, a representative of Grab Venture, the first unicorn business in Southeast Asia, said in this difficult context, the advice given to start-ups was to have real preparations that stick to a growth strategy. Of which, team-building was the core factor.

Van told the summit: "It is better to build talents than to buy talents," mentioning after six years more than 90 percent of Grab employees in Vietnam were Vietnamese.

Sharing about market fluctuations in the post-pandemic world, Lukasz Roszczyc, CEO of Publicis Groupe in Vietnam, said: “Thinking positively about new opportunities, people are spending more time on digital interfaces, smart devices such as TVs, smart home solutions and phones, bringing value to consumers and brands that innovate their approach and create meaningful stories to convey to consumers.”

Serving brands in Vietnam, the Publicis Groupe leader said: “Many businesses own data about customers who have purchased products, but customer interaction is ineffective. We, with the help of technology and innovation, have helped them to best use the data to promote and attract more potential customers.”

He said the smart communication industry could develop by about 30 percent in the next two years and a further 50 percent after that.

Talking at the fintech discussion, one of four topics at the summit, Nguyen Ba Diep, vice chairman of MoMo E-wallet, said: “Instead of just being a rooster, we want to be an eagle in our own territory. Even though Vietnam is inviting many international "eagles" to nest, we could become an eagle with support from the Government."

Diep said the pandemic had led to remarkable growth for the e-wallet market, with 20 million domestic users currently.

He added: “Before the pandemic, there were 10 million customers, now we have double that.”

Seeing the State Bank of Vietnam had licensed 38 e-wallets and promoted the use of fintech in the country to encourage digital transformation, Marcin Miller, associate partner of McKinsey & Company, said many Vietnamese people were still using cash, meaning there was more potential for fintech including e-wallets to grow.

MoMo leader Diep said he aimed to reach at least 50 percent of the population, or 50 million users, with their wallet.

Co-hosted by the Ministry of Planning and Investment, Ministry of Science and Technology, and co-organised by the National Innovation Centre and Golden Gate Ventures, the summit included seminars combining online and offline speakers in Vietnam and in the region on the topics of unicorn hunters, education, technology, fintech and payment in ASEAN and regional logistics.

According to a new report by McKinsey & Company, Vietnam could capture 2,400 trillion VND (more than 100 billion USD) by 2025 through the formation of 12 large digital ecosystems across retail and institutional services.

These digital ecosystems constituted interconnected services from different industries that enabled automation on a large scale and integrated purchasing pathways, giving customers access to a variety of products and services on a single platform, said the report./.

Masan, Mitsubishi Materials to develop tungsten platform

The Masan High-Tech Materials Corporation (MHT) announced on November 27 that it has completed a strategic alliance in the tungsten industry with the Mitsubishi Materials Corporation (MMC), with a view to developing a leading high-tech tungsten materials platform.

As part of the alliance, MMC bought more than 109.9 million newly-issued shares in MHT through a private placement for 90 million USD, becoming its second-largest shareholder, with 10 percent.

Credit Suisse acted as exclusive financial advisor to MHT.

The two will discuss developing a separate business unit to strengthen and unlock the synergies between their respective mid-stream tungsten platforms.

After its acquisition of H.C Starck (HCS), a leading global mid-stream tungsten business, in June, MMC’s participation as a strategic partner is validation of its transformation into a vertically integrated high-tech tungsten platform.

The cooperation will open up investment opportunities to promote the development of important technologies while improving capacity on both sides to provide customers with tungsten products of high quality. It will also strengthen sales networks in the Asia-Pacific, helping broaden the consumption of MHT’s tungsten powder in the region.

MHT prides itself on being a leading provider of key minerals such as tungsten, fluorite, and bismuth. It is currently managing and operating the world’s leading multi-needle ore production and processing plant, in Vietnam’s north. It is also the world’s leading supplier of heat-resistant metals for growth industries such as electronics, chemicals, automotive, medical technology, and aviation and aerospace.

MMC, meanwhile, is an “integrated materials manufacturer”, providing basic materials such as copper and cement. It also manufactures and supplies mechanical parts, materials, and electronic components used in motor cars and home appliances, among others, and is also engaged in the recycling and energy sectors./.

Dong Thap to expand fruit cultivation, improve fruit value

The Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Dong Thap plans to increase the area under fruits cultivation to more than 35,000ha by 2025 with a focus on environment-friendly farming methods and developing value chains for fruits.

It also plans to enhance the means of origin tracing for the fruits and tourism services involving orchards in the period.

It hopes to have 928ha of orchards adopting Vietnamese good agricultural practices (VietGAP) standards and 53ha grown to GlobalGAP standards.

It has more than 33,000ha of orchards that will produce more than 377,000 tonnes of fruits this year, up 43 percent in area and 45.9 percent in output from 2015, according to its Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Mango, longan and citrus fruits are the key fruits and are grown in large, concentrated farming areas.

Nguyen Phuoc Thien, director of the department, said the rapid growth in fruit production has been a big factor in the province’s successful restructuring of its agriculture.

The income for farmers from the province’s key fruits is three to eight times higher than from rice, he said.

A Cat Chu mango orchard provides an income of 115 million VND (4,960 USD) per hectare per year, while the figures are 261 million VND (11,260 USD) and 850 million VND (36,700 USD) for the Edor longan and the Xoan orange.

Under the province’s agriculture restructuring plan, many farmers with low-yield rice fields have switched to fruits and adopted VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards and advanced techniques to produce quality fruits that are also exported.

Nguyen Van Hai in Thap Muoi district’s Phu Dien commune has switched to growing Thai jackfruit one his one-hectare paddy and has three to four harvests a year. His 500 – 700 kilogrammes of fruit per harvest mean he earns 600 million VND (25,900 USD) a year.

The province, the delta’s largest mango producer, has more than 9,650ha under the fruit and an annual output of 127,000 tonnes.

Farmers here use advanced techniques to grow mangoes even in the off-season to and reduce the output during main harvest season to keep prices steady.

Since the province grows many different fruits with steady quality, many companies have invested in processing them.

There are 25 small and medium – sized companies that produce more than 60 types of processed fruits and vegetables.

Of them 20 have been identified for the country’s ‘one commune – one product’ (OCOP) programme and are sold in supermarkets.

Thien said based on the OCOP products, many localities in the province have chosen key fruits to restructure agriculture and develop value chains.

They have developed concentrated growing areas with value chains to reduce production costs and improve farmers’ incomes, he said.

The province has 11 cooperatives, 80 co-operative groups and 58 farmers clubs that have developed value chains for fruits.

There are 133 fruit-growing areas covering a total of nearly 6,000ha that have been granted production unit codes for export purposes.

Most of these areas are under mango, longan, dragon fruit, jackfruit, and rambutan.

To be granted a production unit code, each fruit growing area should be a minimum of 10ha, grow a single kind of fruit and to Vietnamese VietGAP or other equivalent standards.

The farmers also have to carry out many other tasks like keeping a cultivation diary for traceability and follow regulations on pesticide use./.

Tra fish exporters should remain calm amid China’s control of imported frozen food

The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) has told local tra fish exporters to remain calm and not lower the export price of the fish, after the Chinese authorities tightened the surveillance of imported frozen seafood, including Vietnamese tra fish, in an attempt to prevent the transmission of Covid-19.

According to VASEP, from November 10, China began doubling down on its efforts to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus through imported frozen seafood products. Specifically, Chinese competent forces have adopted surveillance, disinfection and origin traceability measures for all consignments of frozen seafood products shipped to China’s major ports such as Shanghai, Wuhan and Qingdao.

Frozen seafood shipments from Vietnam, including tra fish fillets, have to be subject to food and packaging tests at the ports.

However, the prolonged surveillance and food sample testing process resulted in a large amount of goods getting stuck at the ports. Given this situation, VASEP called on local exporters to stay calm and not reduce the export price of tra fish.

VASEP General Secretary Truong Dinh Hoe said in a dispatch recently sent to local tra fish exporters that lowering tra fish export prices will not address the goods that are stuck at ports and will leave a negative impact on shipments bound for China.

Further, local exporters should work closely with importers to stay updated on the export process, aiming to prevent goods from getting stuck at ports and negotiate to adjust the export schedule more appropriately, said the VASEP representative.

He added that VASEP had proposed the ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development, Industry and Trade and Foreign Affairs work jointly with the Chinese authorities to remove the obstacles facing local seafood exporters, as Vietnam has brought the Covid-19 pandemic under control.

Rooftop solar: New segment helps investors diversify investment portfolios in Vietnam

So far, guidelines on rooftop solar regarding policies, regulations, ways of investment, and output have been available for investors.

Rooftop solar power has been designated as an emerging energy segment in Vietnam that enables investors to expand their business.

Rooftop solar in Vietnam has received growing attention in terms of both policy making and capital investment over the past years as part of the government’s efforts to increase the country’s power capacity for the double-digit annual energy growth.

As of September 2020, Vietnam is home to some 50,000 operational rooftop solar projects with a combined capacity of about 1,200 MWp, according to Vietnam Electricity (EVN).

Half of the project with capacity of 758.2 MWp were installed in the first eight months of 2020.

Industry insiders revealed that rooftop solar installation prices have dropped by half in the last three years to VND14-VND18 million (US$608-US$782) per kWp now and this has prompted increasing demand.

To meet the need for understanding and overview in this sector, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH launched in October 2020 “Investment Guidelines for Commercial-Industrial Rooftop Solar Systems in Vietnam.”

The instruction is aimed to provide factual, practical and up-to-date information to developers or investors of commercial or industrial rooftop solar systems.

In a latest move, GIZ for the first time cooperated with Ho Chi Minh Hepza Businesses Association (HBA) to organize a workshop titled “Innovative Industrial & Commercial Solar Rooftop PV Power Solutions for Vietnam.”

The workshop that was held earlier this week introduced the guidelines discussed investment opportunities for rooftop solar systems (RTS) for industry and commerce.

Main contents of the guidelines presented during the workshop included information on the development of the new RTS market in Vietnam, current policies and legal frameworks, and guidance on choosing the most suited business investment model.

The guidelines also describe all critical steps of RTS project development, and provide practical tips and insights based on the experience of companies in Vietnam that have developed rooftop solar projects in the past.

At the workshop, EVN introduced EVNSOLAR (http://solar.evn.com.vn/) – a rooftop solar platform providing a comprehensive solution for household and business investors with a roof and interested in RTS projects.

Speaking at the workshop, Mr. Tran Thien Long, HBA’s deputy chairman emphasized that businesses are paying great attention to rooftop solar after noticing the impressive market grown during the past year and a half.

Mr. Sven Ernedal, Project Director of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (4E) Project in Vietnam, expressed hope to contribute to the development of solar energy as a reliable, affordable and sustainable energy source for industry and commerce in Vietnam.

Government, firms are key to create breakthroughs in Vietnam digital economy  

In Vietnam’s new framework to promote digital transformation, enterprises would stay at the center of the process, while the government is responsible for gathering the required conditions to promote digital economy.

A strong push for digital transformation in both the government and enterprises would help create breakthroughs in the development of Vietnam’s digital economy, according to a new report from the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM).

The digital economy should also ensure its inclusivity to remote areas and vulnerable groups, including women or the poor, added the report with title ”The development of Vietnam’s digital economy in the post-Covid-19 period”.

In a recent study from Google, Temasek and Bain, the Covid-19 pandemic has served as an accelerator for Vietnam’s digital economy to expand by 16% this year to US$14 billion, which is set to further grow to US$52 billion by 2025.

Before the Covid-19 outbreak, Vietnamese users were estimated to spend around 3.1 hours per day for surfing in the internet. The figure spiked to 4.2 hours at the height of national social distancing, and now rests at 3.5 hours per day.

The study also revealed e-commerce is fast becoming a major contributor in the digital economy, which is set to grow 63% year-on-year in 2020 to US$62 billion and US$172 billion by 2025.

As new Industry 4.0 technologies are expected to bring tremendous benefits to the production process, many countries have given priority to the development of digital economy as a strategy for future growth. During the Covid-19 pandemic, such interest for new technologies has only grown further, and Vietnam is no exception to that trend.

Notably, the Vietnamese government is focusing on creating a legal framework to promote digital transformation that is based on international practices. In this framework, enterprises would stay at the center of the process, while the government is responsible for creating the required conditions to promote digital economy.

CIEM Director Nguyen Thi Hong Minh suggested in the future, while it is essential to ensure a safe cyberspace, the government should ensure the improvement of a legal environment for the digital economy, including tax policies for enterprises operating on a digital platform; the enhancement of the intellectual property rights protection as part of Vietnam’s commitments to a number of next-generation free trade agreements such as the CPTPP and EVFTA; the revision of existing regulations related to labor market and social welfare to adapt to changes in a digital economy.

Dong Thap's flower, ornamental plant output surges

The Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap is expected to increase its flower and ornamental plant output to 4.14 trillion VND (178 million USD) worth this year, up three times from 2015, according to its Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Farmers are expected to earn 150 - 180 million VND (6,400 - 7,300 USD) per 1,000 square metres of growing them.

Dong Thap, one of the largest producers of flowers and ornamental plants in the delta, has zoned areas for them in Sa Dec City and the districts of Lai Vung, Lap Vo and Cao Lanh.

It has developed a model under which flowers and ornamental plants are grown in combination with tourism services, and is implemented very successfully in Sa Dec, its largest flower growing area.

The city has attracted more than three million tourists in the last five years, including 170,000 foreigners.

Nguyen Phuoc Loc, who owns a 2.5ha garden in its Tan Khanh Dong commune, grows thousands of roses of more than 130 rose varieties and offers homestay services.

Guests could see some unique flowers, enjoy speciality foods and buy Dong Thap’s speciality souvenirs, he said.

The city has many flower gardens offering homestay services.

Nguyen Phuoc Thien, director of the department, said the province’s fresh flowers could be preserved for a long time and so have become popular.

The province plans to expand the area under flowers to 2,981ha and ornamental plants to 1,169ha by 2025, focusing on new varieties, especially popular ones, though it will also focus on preserving traditional varieties, according to the department.

Flowers and ornamental plants are one of its five key agricultural products under its restructuring plan.

Farmers in Dong Thap are growing some three million pots of flowers and ornamental plants to sell during Tet (the Lunar New Year), which falls on February 12 next year.

The province’s High-Tech Agriculture Application Centre produced disease-free seedlings of more than 100,000 varieties to supply to farmers.

In Sa Dec, farmers are planting more new varieties of roses, daisies, yellow ochna flowers, and others.

Tran Van Tiep, chairman of the Toi Yeu Mau Tim Clubhouse in Sa Dec’s Tan Quy Dong commune, hopes to sell around 30,000 pots of flowers during Tet, 80 percent of them being new varieties.

He travelled to many places to look for flowers that could grow well in the local soil, including new varieties of daisy, stone lotus and others, he said.

“The new flowers are … growing well.”

Members of the Sa Dec City Yellow Ochna Flower Club are growing around 100 bonsai trees for Tet.

Nguyen Hoang Tuan, its chairman, said the members searched for the yellow ochna flower trees in many places, and they had been growing them for many years in unique shapes.

Nguyen Thi Ngoc, head of the Sa Dec Economic Bureau, said local farmers had found many new varieties to sell during Tet.

To support them, the bureau had trained them in new techniques in the context of climate change, she said.

The city helped co-operatives and co-operative groups implement models that produce flowers and ornamental plants that are disease free and of high quality, she said.

It encouraged farmers to use organic fertilisers and pesticides, she said.

“The city also helps farmers find outlets for flowers and ornamental plants.”

It has more than 2,500 varieties of flowers and ornamental plants and sells them to many provinces and cities, including HCM City.

It has nine companies and 12 co-operatives, co-operative groups and farmers’ clubhouses growing them.

It encourages farmers to expand the flowers-ornamental plants-tourism services combination./.

Trade surplus swells to record high in 11 months amidst COVID-19

Vietnam posted a trade surplus of 20.1 billion USD in the first 11 months of this year, the highest on record, despite the adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).

In a report announced on November 29, the office said the country’s total export-import revenue in the reviewed period was estimated at 489.1 billion USD, a year-on-year rise of 3.5 percent, of which export value reached 254.6 billion USD, up 5.3 percent, and import, 234.5 billion USD, up 1.5 percent.

In November alone, export turnover stood at 24.8 billion USD, a drop of 9 percent from the previous month, but up 8.8 percent as compared with the same period last year.

Between January and November, the domestic economic sector generated some 73 billion USD in export revenue, up 1.6 percent, making up 28.7 percent of the total. Meanwhile, the foreign-invested sector, including crude oil, recorded 181.6 billion USD, up 6.9 percent, accounting for 71.3 percent of the total.

Up to 31 groups of commodities joined the over one-billion-USD export club, making up 92 percent of the accumulative export value, with 10 groups posting more than 10 billion USD.

Heavy industry and mining raked in 138 billion USD, up 9.2 percent year-on-year. Light industry and handicrafts, meanwhile, reported revenue of 90.2 billion USD, up 1.5 percent; agro-forestry 18.7 billion USD, down 0.1 percent; and fisheries 7.7 billion USD, down 0.9 percent.

The US remained the largest importer of Vietnamese goods in the 11 months, with turnover of 69.9 billion USD, up 25.7 percent year-on-year.

It was followed by China, with 43.1 billion USD, up 16 percent; the EU, 32.2 billion USD, down 2.4 percent; ASEAN, 20.9 billion USD, down 10.6 percent; the Republic of Korea (RoK), 17.7 billion USD, down 2.7 percent; and Japan 17.3 billion USD, down 6.5 percent.

Total imports in November were estimated at 24.2 billion USD, down 0.5 percent month-on-month but up 13.4 percent year-on-year.

As many as 34 types of goods saw import turnover exceeding 1 billion USD, accounting for 89.4 percent of the total.

China remained Vietnam’s largest import source, with revenue standing at 73.9 billion USD, an increase of 7.9 percent against the same period last year.

It was followed by the RoK, with 42 billion USD, down 2.9 percent; ASEAN, 27.3 billion USD, down 6.9 percent; Japan, 18.6 billion USD, up 4.8 percent; the EU, 13.2 billion USD, up 4.3 percent; and the US, 12.6 billion USD, down 3.6 percent.

November CPI edges down 0.01 percent from previous month

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) edged down 0.01 percent month-on-month in November on the back of weakening global fuel prices and declining electricity and water prices in the country, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).

The November CPI was 0.08 percent higher than the figure in December 2019 and 1.48 percent higher than that in the same month last year. The CPI in the first 11 months of 2020 was up 2.43 percent year on year.

Among 11 groups of products and services in the CPI basket, decreases were seen in three groups, namely transport; post and telecommunications services; and cultural, entertainment and tourism services.

The biggest contraction was recorded in the price of transport, 0.47 percent, largely owing to the fact that the average fuel price in November dropped 1.32 percent from the previous month.

The price of post and telecom services fell 0.17 percent month-on-month because of a variety of deals offered by mobile service suppliers to attract more customers while similarly, tour operators were offering various discounts to stimulate domestic travel demand, weakening the price of cultural, entertainment and tourism services by 0.06 percent.

Meanwhile, seven groups of products and services experienced rises with the largest increase of 0.14 percent reported in the price of garments, hats and footwear. The price of construction materials inched up 0.07 percent month-on-month.

The gold price picked up 0.87 percent month-on-month in November, while the price of the US dollar decreased 0.05 percent./.

Ninh Thuan reports solid achievements in building new-style rural areas

The south-central province of Ninh Thuan has done well in developing its rural areas after 10 years of implementing the national programme on building new-style rural areas, according to its steering committee for the programme.

The annual income of rural people has climbed to nearly 26 million VND (1,120 USD) now, 2.16 times the 2011 figure.

Of its 47 rural communes, 26 meet all 19 criteria set under the programme.

The criteria are related to planning, infrastructure, transport, irrigation, electricity, income, education and training, healthcare, environment, food safety, social security, culture and others.

Ninh Phuoc district became the first district to be acknowledged last year.

Quang Dai Hoang, an ethnic Cham living in the district’s Phuoc Hau commune, said: “The material and spiritual lives of people have been enhanced.”

Most houses here have been repaired or built well, he said.

Most roads in Ninh Phuoc are paved with cement or asphalt and all rural roads are lit at night, he said.

The district mobilised more than 2.3 trillion VND (98.9 million USD) from various sources, including 425 billion VND from the people, for the programme in the last 10 years.

Dang Kim Cuong, Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the programme has been implemented widely, and rural people have actively participated in it.

They have contributed labour, money and land for building infrastructure facilities and participate in monitoring, managing and using infrastructure, thus improving the quality of implementation of the programme, he said.

The province has boosted the use of advanced farming techniques and created favourable conditions for farmers, co-operatives and companies to develop linkages in producing and consuming key agricultural products like grape, jujube, asparagus, goats, sheep, and cows.

Though it has the least rainfall in the country, it is the largest producer of grape, jujube, goat, and sheep. It has more than 138,000 goats and nearly 130,000 sheep, according to the department.

Its livestock are prized for their quality because they eat mostly natural food, grazing in pastures.

To help farmers improve their incomes from raising goats and sheep, the province has increasingly piloted and taught them new techniques, improved strains and zoned pastures for them.

Its goats have a collective brand name while its sheep have been geographical indication certification from the National Office of Intellectual Property.

Association contributions

The province’s associations, unions and organisations have carried out many movements to achieve the programme criteria.

They have also carried out many advocacy activities to increase awareness of the benefits of the programme in rural areas.

Besides teaching farmers about advanced farming techniques and efficient models, the province Farmers Association has also organised many activities and contests to attract farmers to the programme.

A contest called “Farmers compete together in combination with building new style-rural areas” has attracted farmers to the programme and increased their awareness of building new-style rural areas.

The province’s Women’s Union at all levels has carried out various activities and movements to implement the programme criteria such as income, transport, environment and food safety, and social security.

They have taught vocational skills to more than 6,600 members and found jobs for more than 7,680 since 2010.

Besides helping members find jobs, the province’s Women’s Union has also organised courses in legal regulations such as the Law on Marriage and Family, the Law on Domestic Violence Prevention and Control, the Law on Gender Equality and others to ensure social security and protect the environment.

Nguyen Thi Ngan Hanh, Vice Chairwoman of the provincial Women’s Union, said: “During the implementation of the programme the province’s women’s unions at all levels combined the advocacy of the programme with implementation.”

They were determined that advocacy should be done regularly and long term, she added.

In 2021-2025, the province plans to mobilise 4.2 trillion VND (180 million USD) from various sources to implement the programme on building new-style rural areas.

The province aims to have three entire districts and 75 percent of its communes recognised as new-style rural areas by 2025, and increase the rural income 1.8 fold from 2020.

To meet the targets, the province will focus on teaching vocational skills and providing jobs and speed up the restructure of agriculture production towards adapting to climate change.

It will teach farmers advanced techniques and develop linkages between farmers and companies to ensure outlets for the former’s produce.

It will focus on implementing policies to develop rural services and restructuring the rural economy towards increasing the proportion of services and industry and reducing the rate of agriculture./.

Vietnam, South Africa look to expand trade and investment ties

A delegation of the Vietnamese Embassy in South Africa, led by Ambassador Hoang Van Loi, paid a working visit to Eastern Cape and Western Cape provinces from November 22-29 to seek opportunities for further strengthening investment, trade and tourism cooperation between the two countries.

The trip formed part of activities to promote economic diplomacy towards expanding the bilateral economic and trade relations after a long time affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Within the framework of the trip, the delegation had working sessions with representatives of local policy advisory and business matching agencies and companies which are interested in or those with experience in doing business in Vietnam.

During a meeting with Nomkhita Mona, CEO of the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber (NMBBC) in Eastern Cape, the Vietnamese diplomat highlighted the potential of the Vietnamese market with a population of more than 95 million people, saying that the country is one of the most dynamic economies in Southeast Asia.

Mona said Eastern Cape has strengths in the fields of seaports, exports of consumer goods and automobiles, agriculture and tourism.

The two sides were committed to promoting cooperation and mutually supporting in sharing information about trade and export and connecting partners.

Mona affirmed that NMBBC is willing to post information about the Vietnamese market and businesses on its website, creating favourable conditions for the business community of Nelson Mandela Bay in particular and South Africa in general in seeking partners.

The two sides agreed to coordinate in promoting the signing of memoranda of understanding (MoU) between the South African Chamber of Commerce and the Embassy of Vietnam and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI).

Meanwhile, President of the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) Jenine Myburg spoke highly of efforts and initiatives of the Vietnamese Embassy to promote connections between Vietnamese firms and South African partners, affirming that the two sides will consider to concretize areas with great potential for cooperation in the coming time, focusing on goods and fields that both sides have demands and strengths.

The Vietnamese delegation also had working sessions with representatives of Karoo Livestock Exports (KLE) which is specializing in exporting animal breeds, Rhodes Food Group (RFG) Group which has experience in exporting canned foods and vegetables to Vietnam, and Reutech Radar Systems – a multi-sectoral business company.

Dao Manh Duc, Commercial Counsellor at the Vietnamese Embassy in South Africa, said the Vietnamese Trade Office will work to promote exchanges between the two countries’ business community.

South Africa is the first and only country in Africa that Vietnam has established the partnership for cooperation and development. It is also the largest trading partner of Vietnam in the continent./.

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