Stronger efforts fighting corruption to be taken

Addressing the event, Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh Trong highlighted that in 2009 the Committee coordinated closely with the VFFCC in the fight against corruption resulting in positive initial outcomes and contributing significantly to the nation’s efforts to combat the scourge.

The Government leader said efforts to prevent and combat corruption were successful in some fields, particularly in reducing economic decline, maintaining political security and social order, and promoting national socio-economic development.

However, he shared his view with VFFCC Chairman Huynh Dam that the fight against corruption in the past was not tough enough as the scourge has continued to occur in a serious and complicated manner, arousing the concern of the people and society.

The Deputy PM raised the fact that anti-corruption work is a long, complicated process challenged by numerous obstacles and requires the dedication of the entire society.

In 2010, the work needs to be deployed more strongly to affirm the political will of the Party, the State, the entire political system and the people to root out the scourge, Deputy PM Trong said.

“Preventing and combating corruption is a political task that helps build the Party and administration purely and strongly and solidify the people’s trust to the Party and the State,” he concluded.

Border provinces exchange work experience

Binh Phuoc (VNA) – A delegation from the Cambodian province of Kratie on Dec. 28 held talks with leaders of the People’s Council of Binh Phuoc Province highlighting developments and cooperation in the region.

During the meeting, leaders of the bordering provinces expressed delight at the ever-increasing friendship relations and multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and Cambodia in general and between Kratie and the southern province of Binh Phuoc in particular. 

They agreed that authorities of both provinces have incessantly fortified bilateral relations by sending visiting delegations on a regular basis, signing many comprehensive cooperation documents and working together for the implementation of border landmark plantation as agreed by the governments of Vietnam and Cambodia.

They have also facilitated entry and exit procedures for people from Binh Phuoc and Kratie to travel across the shared border. 

Kratie is a north-eastern province of Cambodia that borders Vietnam to the south.-

Thailand eager to improve ties with Cambodia

Bangkok (VNA) – The Government of Thailand wants to improve diplomatic relations with Cambodia but needs to protect its prestige and sovereignty. 

The statement was made by Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva in his speech delivered on the country’s radio and television on December 27. 

Abhisit pointed out that he had not regarded the speeches made by Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen of a coup d'état in Cambodia as a hurdle to the building of bilateral diplomatic ties. 

Thailand will consider appointing an ambassador to Phnom Penh if the Cambodian government withdraws their remarks on the Thai judiciary system and adjust their stance, the Thai PM said.

Memorial place of President Ho to be built in Laos

Vientiane (VNA) – The central province of Savanakhet of Laos plans to build a memorial area dedicated to President Ho Chi Minh, according to Savanakhet Deputy Governor Souphanh Keomysay.

The project is aimed at reminding of local residents of President Ho’s contributions to the Laos Revolution and his time spent in central Laos in June of 1929.

The area will cover 784 sq.m in Sayaphoum village, Kaysone Phomvihane district.

The project will be built and completed in 2011.

At present, there are two projects in memory of President Ho Chi Minh in Laos , one in Vientiane and another in Khammoune province.

Vietnamese, Chilean armies set to strengthen ties

Hanoi (VNA) – Minister of Defence, General Phung Quang Thanh on Dec. 28 met with visiting Commander-in-chief of the Chilean Army, General Oscar Izurieta Ferrer.

At the reception, General Oscar Izurieta Ferrer informed Minister Thanh of the results of his earlier talks with the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army, Lieutenant-General Tran Quang Khue. 

The Chilean Commander-in-chief expressed his wish that the bilateral relations between the people and armies of Vietnam and Chile to be further cemented and developed, especially in national defence. He also said Chile wants to learn air defence from Vietnam, production of military uniform and equipment as well as other issues of mutual concern.

Minister Thanh welcomed the delegation of the Chilean Army. He thanked the people of Chile for their support in national defence to the Vietnamese people during previous wars as well as the current time. 

He guaranteed that Vietnam attaches importance to a multifaceted cooperation with Chile and is willing to share experiences in building the army forces. Thanh expressed his wish that the cooperation between the Vietnamese Army and the Chilean Army would further develop upon this visit.

The delegation of the Chilean Army will end their Vietnam visit on Dec. 31.

Court sends national security violator to jail

Thai Binh (VNA) – The People’s Court of the northern province of Thai Binh on Dec. 28 handed down a sentence of five years and a half in prison to Tran Anh Kim on charge of “working to overthrow the people’s administration.” 

Apart from the sentence, which was made in accordance with clause 1, Article 79 of the Penal Code, the court also ordered that Kim will be kept under surveillance at his locality for three years after serving his jail sentence.

According to the court’s verdict, Tran Anh Kim, 60, joined an outlaw organisation called “the Democratic Party of Vietnam” whose aim is to change the regime and abolish the Vietnamese State .

In June 2009, Kim was appointed as deputy secretary general of the organisation.

Kim also joined another organisation called “Block 8406” which is aimed at overthrowing the state of Vietnam . 

He admitted that he has regularly posted comments on the internet shouting for abolishing the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam and ousting the State.

The defendant also confessed that he has intentionally distorted the political situation in Vietnam in numerous interviews granted to foreign newspapers and radio stations. He also embroiled others to lodge untrue petitions, causing socio-political instability.

The court’s panel agreed that this was a special case of infringement of national security and the defendant colluded closely with exiled overseas Vietnamese reactionaries and organisations.

More than 30 local and foreign reporters attended the trial.

City traffic congestion raises national concern

HCM City (VNA) – Traffic jams are hindering the economic development of Ho Chi Minh City –the country’s largest commercial hub– and of the whole country, said a high-ranking government official. 

The remark was made by Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai in a meeting with local leaders on December 28 in an effort to ease the burning issue in the city where the total number of registered vehicles topped 4.4 million. 

The current traffic congestion is not only a problem of HCM city but also an issue concerning the whole nation, Hai stressed while instructing the city’s leaders to consider researching and working with ministries and branches to put forward new initiatives and solutions to the issue. 

He suggested the city enhance the local people’s awareness, strengthen traffic inspection and management work, speed up transport infrastructure development projects and improve the city’s bus service. 

According to the municipal Department of Transport and Communications, there were 69 serious traffic congestions in the months to December this year, up 25 in comparison with the same period last year.

Int’l Buddhist Women Conference opens in HCM City

HCM City (VNA) – The 11th Sakyadhita International Conference on Buddhist Women (SICBW) opened in Ho Chi Minh City on December 28, drawing over 2,000 Buddhist women from more than 47 countries and territories worldwide. 

Vice State President Nguyen Thi Doan was also present at the opening ceremony of the conference. 

The week-long event will discuss issues regarding the role of Buddhist women in the world and ways for Buddhist women to perform well in their role and ability in various areas of social life. 

The participants will mention the most burning issues of the current society, including environmental pollution, woman and child trafficking, and domestic violence. 

The conference will also provide an opportunity for participants to exchange views on experiences and visions of the future of Buddhist women in promoting friendship and solidarity worldwide. 

In a letter sent to the conference, State President Nguyen Minh Triet spoke highly of the 2,000 year history of Vietnamese Buddhism and stressed that the Vietnamese State always respects and ensures the people’s right of religious freedom. 

He expressed his wish that Vietnamese Buddhist women, together with their peers in the world, will make active contributions to preventing conflicts and contradictions, eliminating poverty and highlighting the Buddha’s dogmas in the social life. 

Speaking at the opening ceremony, President of the Vietnam Women’s Union Nguyen Thi Thanh Hoa suggested that Buddhist women continue to share and stay in connection with various women’s organisations to help guide them improve their behaviours.

Deputy PM kicks off dyke construction in Soc Trang

Soc Trang (VNA) – Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung on December 28 launched an order to begin construction of the Maspero river bank dyke in the Mekong delta province of Soc Trang. 

With a total length of over 11,089 km, crossing the provincial capital of Soc Trang from west to east, the dyke plays an important role in preventing landslides and ensuring safety for residents and infrastructures along the river banks. 

The project is invested and supervised by the Soc Trang construction project management board and it is designed by the Southern Irrigation Science Institute. 

The first phase of the project will cost 587 billion VND sourced from government bonds. 

Addressing the launching ceremony, Deputy PM Hung underlined the dyke’s profound significance to the provincial culture and society. Therefore, its construction requires high technical standards as well as close watchful eyes of the local officials and the management board. 

He also pledged that the government will provide full capital to speed up construction, which is set to last until 2012.

RoK to donate 22 million USD to DPRK

Hanoi (VNA) – The Republic of Korea’s (RoK) government is planning to provide 26 billion won (22 million USD) in humanitarian aid to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). 

Of the sum, 13 million USD will be channelled through the World Health Organisation (WHO), 4 million USD through the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the remainder via non-government organisations, said the Ministry of Unification’s spokesman Chun Hae Sung at a press briefing on Dec. 28. 

The amount will raise the RoK’s total humanitarian aid to the DPRK this year alone to 50 billion won (43 million USD). 

On Dec. 18, the RoK sent 50,000 doses of A/H1N1 vaccine worth nearly 15 million USD to help the DPRK prevent the spread of the epidemic. 

This was the first package of humanitarian aid the RoK has allocated to the DPRK since President Lee Myung-bak took office in February 2008.

China to become world’s largest exporter in 2009

Beijing (VNA) – Despite decreasing demands from overseas, China will probably pass Germany to become the world’s largest exporter in 2009, according to China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOC). 

The MOC also predicted that the country’s exports in 2009 will drop by 16.5 percent year-on-year to around 1.19 trillion USD. 

2009 was the hardest year in Chinese trade history but the nation has made many positive achievements, the ministry said, adding that China is likely to takeover Germany this year as the world's biggest exporter with its market share of global exports rising to 9 percent from 8.8 percent last year. 

According to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), during the first half of 2009, China, for the first time in seven years, passed Germany in export earnings with a turnover of 521.7 billion USD, compared to Germany’s 521.6 billion USD. 

Economists have predicted that this trend will be repeated during the second half of 2009 and in the years ahead. 

On December 26, the Federation of German Industries said that Germany's exports in 2009 are forecast to drop by 18 percent from the previous year to 992.7 billion EUR.

Ethnic minority’s policies under spotlight

Lam Dong (VNA) – A number of measures to help monitor how policies on ethnic people in the central highlands, central southern and southeastern regions are working are high on the agenda of a seminar in Lam Dong province. 

At the two-day event, which ends on Dec. 29, the participants will focus their discussions on the role of elected agencies and auditing. 

They suggested enhancing the role of National Assembly deputies and People’s Councils at all levels and decentralising management. 

Vice Chairman President of the NA’s Council of Ethnic Minorities Giang A Chu highlighted the results of the country’s ethnic policies. However, he pointed out poor supervision and slack management in some areas. 

The solutions put forward at the seminar will be enable the Council and Committee of Ethnic Minorities to finalise the monitoring of ethnic policies and improve the capabilities of State agencies, he said.

Crackdown on food violations tipped in preparation for Tet

Hanoi (VNA) – Food hygiene inspectors will conduct quality raids throughout the country from January 1 as part of a crackdown to ensure food safety during Tet.

Deputy Health Minister Trinh Quan Huan said raids would continue until the Lunar New Year Day (February 14) and focus on traditional and popular products such as sweets, soft drinks, alcohol and meat products.

Ten inspection groups staffed with officials of ministries of Health, Agriculture and Rural Development, Science and Technology and Industry and Trade will check product labels and hygiene conditions in markets, supermarkets and restaurants and ask for food hygiene certificates as well as other product quality tracking documents.

“The demand for food soars during Tet, resulting in abnormal increases in imported products – legal and illegal – in both number and category,” said deputy director of the Department of Food Hygiene and Safety Nguyen Thanh Phong.

In addition to inter-ministerial inspectors, grassroots authorities will inspect food hygiene and safety in their own areas.

Food Hygiene and Safety Department statistics show there have been 147 food poisoning cases involving 5,000 people this year. Almost 4,000 of them were hospitalised and 33 died. Meanwhile, municipal health inspectors on Dec. 27 uncovered food hygiene violations at several Chinese sausage shops and producers in HCM City .

Fresh Chinese sausage (lap xuong), produced by San Pan on Binh Tan district’s Street 36, was found to have lacked product quality certificates. Dozens of packs were found without origin labels or were overdue. The shop was closed down temporarily while products were sent for testing.

In another case, Hong Ngoc Chinese sausage producer in Binh Tri Dong ward, Binh Tan District, was caught using unclean equipment.

Chinese sausages are made of pork, chicken or liver. They are a traditional dish in Vietnam , particularly for the Lunar New Year festival.

Khmer kids learn native tongue

HCM City (VNA) – Khmer ethnic minority students in Soc Trang province in the Mekong Delta have been learning with their native language as well as Vietnamese from primary to secondary education.

All six boarding schools for more than 1,000 Khmer students in the province have included the Khmer language in their curriculum, according to a report from the provincial People’s Committee.

Students at 151 public schools, including 116 primary schools, 31 high schools and four senior high schools, have studied Khmer.

Khmer students have been exempted from school fees and poor students have been provided with textbooks and schooling aids. 

All 399 teachers of Khmer language have been trained in both Vietnamese and Khmer and instructional methodologies.

They are also paid an additional monthly pay supplement that equals at least half of their normal salary .

Tran Viet Hung, director of the provincial Education and Training Department, said 6,600 students last year took a test of proficiency in Khmer, with up to 98 percent of them being qualified. 
In some schools, third-grade students have begun to study English or another foreign language, along with Khmer language as well as other required subjects, Hung said.

He said there are too many subjects and proposed that the Education and Training Ministry review and adjust the curriculum for Khmer students.

The province, where most of the Khmer ethnic people in the country live, have more than 68,000 Khmer students learning Vietnamese and Khmer this school year.

Young targeted in drug addiction prevention

HCM City (VNA) – Preventing young people from becoming drug addicts would be a priority in HCM City next year, director of the HCM City Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs Department Le Thanh Tam told a recent conference in the city.

Tam told a recent conference on preventing prostitution and drug addiction that this year the number of reported addicts in the city increased 25.16 percent from last year to 2,417.

Of the total, 757 were new addicts who were reported for the first time and 484 had relapsed, he said.

The rest or nearly half of the total came from other provinces and cities nationwide making policing complicated, he added. 
Deputy head of the department’s Social Evils Prevention Division Le Van Quy said that only 27 out of 127 spots of prostitution and drug trade in the city were eliminated since the beginning of the year. 
The management and support for former addicts reintegrated into society was still weak, with more than 1,600 out of 2,200 detoxificated addicts leaving their localities and not reporting to local authorities.

Nearly 70 percent of rehabilitated addicts were assisted to find jobs with monthly incomes ranging from 800,000 VND to 2 million VND (44-110 USD), yet most of the jobs were unstable.

Local authorities blamed the city’s limited budget for the inadequade support of addicts.

Quy said there wasn’t enough money allocated to projects to help former addicts stabilise their lives or enough subsidies paid to officials to supervise the addicts after rehabilitation.

Uncle Ho kitchen, medical utensils on display

Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism has just opened a showroom displaying the kitchen and medical equipment used to serve President Ho Chi Minh during the 15 years he lived and worked in the President’s Palace in Hanoi . 

The kitchen also served Pham Van Dong when he was working as the Prime Minister of the Vietnamese Government. Equipment displayed in the showroom includes medical equipment from the Military Hospital No.108 to provide care to Uncle Ho in the 1960s. 

The display is located near the Ho Chi Minh Museum in Hanoi.

More Central Highlands people access electricity

Hanoi (VNA) – An additional 136 villages in Central Highlands provinces will be connected to the national power grid in time to celebrate the traditional lunar new year festival. 

The management board of the central rural energy project said more than 56,000 electricity meters and home wiring will also be installed free of charge for ethnic households from now until Tet holiday.

Overseas Vietnamese in Germany plan Vietnam Year

Berlin (VNA) – A series of cultural, economic, sport activities will be held throughout next year to celebrate the “Vietnam Year in Germany – 2010”, marking a new step of development in Vietnam-Germany relations.

The “Vietnam Year in Germany – 2010” held on the occasion of the 35 th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic ties, will include an exchange programme for young people from Vietnam and Hessen state, workshops and business forums, photo exhibitions and a Vietnam Culture-Tourism Week, Ambassador to Germany Do Hoa Binh said at a planning meeting with Germany-based Vietnamese organisations in Berlin on Dec. 26.

The Lunar New Year (Tet) festival will opens the Vietnam Year with the participation of folk artists travelling from Vietnam .

The second major activity will be the Vietnam culture-tourism week to be held in late August in Berlin , featuring Vietnam ’s food, beverage and products, traditional art performances and photos and films on Hanoi -the ancient capital city, he added.

In addition to culture, sport, economic and tourism activities in both countries, next year will witness visits of high-level delegations of the two countries aiming at lifting Vietnam-Germany ties.

As a prelude to the Vietnam year in Germany 2010, the Berlin Open Tennis 2009 was held on Dec. 25-26, drawing Vietnamese players at different ages from Berlin and other provinces and cities of Germany .

Regional disaster management agreement takes effect

Jakarta (VNA) - The ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) has entered into force, after getting ratification from all ten member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

AADMER is the region’s response to the need to establish a regional disaster management framework. 

It contains provisions on disaster risk identification, monitoring and early warning, prevention and mitigation, preparedness and response, rehabilitation, technical cooperation and research, mechanisms for coordination, and simplified customs and immigration procedures.

AADMER also provides for the establishment of an ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre) to undertake operational coordination of activities under the Agreement. 

Welcoming the agreement’s launch on Dec. 24, ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan, said that AADMER is one of the fastest-negotiated agreements in ASEAN’s history, having gone through a mere four months of negotiations.

The entry into force of AADMER is a remarkable progress for ASEAN in its joint effort in responding to disasters happening in the region and in reducing disaster risks more effectively, he added. 

AADMER was signed by ASEAN Foreign Ministers in July 2005. Since then, ASEAN has put in place measures to implement many provisions under the Agreement.

Thailand to boost medical tourism in 2010

Hanoi (VNA) - The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) will boost medical tourism in earnest in 2010, the National news Bureau (NNT) reported.

NNT quoted Deputy Governor of the TAT’s Public Relations Division Surapol Sawetserani as saying Thailand has high potentials and marketing opportunities for the business, as most foreign visitors using the service are those with high purchasing power. 

The TAT is in the process of gathering information relating to health service providers, accommodations, rehabilitation facilities and tourism programs for companions, to be displayed on its website. Road shows will be later scheduled to target countries, as part of the marketing strategy. 

President of the Thai Hotels Association, Prakit Chinamourphong said the medical tourism industry in Thailand has high prospects for expansion. Statistics showed that over 1.2 million tourists were seeking health care service in Thailand each year. The number is believed to reach 10 million within the next five years.

NNT said the Ministry of Tourism and Sports has called a meeting of private entrepreneurs and related units on 28 December 2009, in order to discuss the business potentials and their cooperation for best absolute outcome.

BUSINESS

200 million USD in government bonds up for bid

Hanoi (VNA) - The Hanoi Stock Exchange (HNX) said it will hold a bidding session for government bonds worth 200 million USD on December 29. 

The bonds, which will be issued by the Vietnam State Treasury on December 31, will mature in a year. 

The bonds with a face value of 100 USD will be offered via both competitive and non-competitive coupon biddings. 

This will be the fourth time HNX has issued government bonds this year.

Rubber company receives licence for Laos project

Vientiane (VNA) – Ha Tinh Rubber Company of Vietnam has been licensed to invest in a project planting rubber trees on 600 ha in Borikhamsay province of Laos .

The company has also signed a memorandum of understanding with the province’s youth union to carry out the project.

Under the memorandum, the investor will provide technique for plantation of rubber trees and exploitation of rubber latex to local workers.

The project is scheduled to start in April 2010.

Nation lures 21.48 billion USD in FDI this year

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam attracted 21.48 billion USD in foreign direct investment (FDI) this year despite the world economic crisis and competition from regional countries. 

Of the total, 16.34 billion USD are registered capital of 839 newly-licensed projects and the rest comes from increased capital of 215 ongoing projects, reported the Ministry of Planning and Investment’s Foreign Investment Agency (FIA). 

The agency said that accommodation and restaurant service continues to arouse the biggest interest of foreign investors this year, drawing in 8.8 billion USD. 

Real estate business comes second with an estimated 7.6 billion USD. It is followed by the manufacturing and processing industry with 2.97 billion USD. 

In 2009, the country’s disbursed capital is estimated at 10 billion USD, about 1.5 billion USD lower than the figure of 2008 when pledged FDI reached a record high of 64 billion USD, according to the agency. 

During the reviewed period, FDI enterprises posted encouraging results due to a combined export turnover of 29.9 billion USD, including oil and gas, making up 52.7 percent of Vietnam’s total export revenues. 

FIA experts attributed these achievements to the government’s efforts to improve the investment environment making it more suitable with international practices and laws. 

In addition, provinces and cities have taken the initiative in luring this source of capital by restructuring various departments for better efficiency including administrative procedures and licensing as well as facilitating implementation of FDI projects. 

However, the experts said Vietnam needs to upgrade its infrastructures and better develop human resources and management capacity of local authorities to accelerate the disbursement tempo, which has been considered a big obstacle for foreign investors. 

The agency said the country is expected to attract from 22-25 billion USD in FDI and disburse between 10 and 11 billion USD in 2010.

New proposals to reduce poverty rate

Hanoi (VNA) – Local and overseas experts discussed a range of proposals to reduce the number of poor households while ensuring sustainable development over the period 2011-2020 at a seminar in Hanoi on Dec. 28. 

They said that Vietnam should select a model that combines growth with reducing poverty to create the right conditions for poor people to improve their capabilities and increase their chances to access to economic sources. 

On the other hand, the nation needs to attach poverty reduction targets to the criteria for building new urban areas, social welfare policies and vocational training programmes for rural labourers. 

Deputy Minister of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Trong Dam confirmed that the Vietnamese Government always includes eradicating hunger and reducing poverty in its national economic development plans. Vietnam is considered a role model in the field, he added. 

The number of poor households decreased from 58 percent in 1993 to 14 percent in 2008 after 10 years of introducing the country’s national poverty reduction programme. Thanks to it, many poor people have now more chance of accessing basic social services, including education, health care, electricity, safe water and environmental hygiene, said the seminar.-Enditem

Foreign banks expand presence in Vietnam

Hanoi (VNA) – Many foreign banks have joined up with local partners to expand their presence in Vietnam’s market in addition to opening more branches and introducing new products.

ANZ Vietnam has linked up with the Vietnam Post Corporation (VNPost) and the Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam (Agribank) to enable collection and payment services to be made at their branches nationwide.

Working in conjunction with VNPost and Agribank will help ANZ to offer its banking services at nearly 2,000 of VNPost’s post offices and 2,200 of Agribank’s branches and transaction centres.

Earlier, HSBC Vietnam had signed a cooperation agreement to integrate its banking services with VNPost’s system. HSBC has also recently made an agreement with VNPost to provide a premium collecting service for the Bao Viet Life Insurance Corporation. Ha Tay has been chosen for the pilot run in 2010 and will later be expanded to other localities so Bao Viet Life’s customers can pay their premiums at any post office nationwide.

According to Thomas Tobin, HSBC Vietnam’s General Director, this will help it to provide customers with a more convenient service.

Following their successful liaison with Bao Viet Life Insurance Corporation, more businesses can now collect and pay regular charges or fees such as rents, telephone charges and water bills using the new service, said Tonbin.

Meanwhile, ANZ Vietnam’s General Director Dam Bich Thuy stressed the importance of capital management in businesses that have to collect regular large-scale fees. ANZ Vietnam is developing the service to help firms manage their finances more efficiently. 

VNPost’s General Director Do Ngoc Binh said that cooperating with ANZ and HSBC will enable his firm to learn from their partners’ state of the art monetary management, ensuring more effective management when collecting and paying fees.

Agro-forestry-fisheries exports drop 7 percent in value

Hanoi (VNA) – The export value of agro-forestry-fisheries products are estimated to have reached 1.3 billion USD in December, bringing the total amount for the whole year to 15.34 billion USD, a year-on-year drop of 7 percent, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. 

Of this figure, farm produce earned just over 7.8 billion USD and forestry products brought in 2.74 billion USD, both down by 11 percent year-on-year. Fish and seafood netted 4.2 billion USD, down by 6.7 percent as compared to the same period last year. 

Almost all agro-forestry-fisheries products increased in volume but dropped in turnover. 

An initial estimate shows that this year Vietnam exported a record 5.8 million tonnes of rice, but only made 2.6 billion USD, a drop of over 10 percent, due to a fall in global prices. 

Exports of coffee and rubber were also in the same boat. The amount exported coffee increased to 1.1 million tonnes, 40,000 tonnes higher than the last year’s figure, but the turnover fell to 1.7 billion USD, 400 million USD less than last year’s figure. 

And rubber, even with export prices rising to over 1,000 USD per tonne in November compared to the beginning of the year and volume being up by 9.4 percent, still saw a drop of over 26 percent in value. 

Even export staples that can govern prices on the world market such as cashew nuts also were the same. Vietnam , as one of the top world exporters of cashew nuts, exported 175,000 tonnes and earned 840 million USD, up 6 percent in volume but the value was equal to only 92 percent of last year’s. 

Tea and pepper were the only two agricultural products to go up in both volume and value however this was mainly due to the increased tonnage and not higher prices. 

Vietnam earned 178 million USD from exporting 133,000 tonnes of tea this year, up 21 percent in value and 27 percent in volume, as the export price for the country’s tea is only half the global price. 

The export turnover of wooden products this year reached 2.5 billion USD, down by 10 percent, due to the world’s economic recession that lowered the demand from many of Vietnam ’s main importing markets such as the EU which was down by 30 percent and the US down by 10 percent. 

Over the year, Vietnam imported high volumes of input materials for the agro-forestry-fisheries sector such as fertiliser, insecticides and wheat. Of these, animal feed and raw materials were the largest at 1.75 billion USD.

Plunge in pork prices puts pressure on producers

HCM City (VNA) – The price of pork products in HCM City will continue to fall sharply because of an abundant supply. 
Vissan Co has cut pork prices by 2,000 VND per kilograme over last week, and frozen meat prices by 5 percent. San Miguel Co also cut prices by 2,000 VND a kg.

The prices of best-selling pork products at supermarkets such as Citimart, Coopfood and Maximart have been reduced by 10-15 percent.

Supply has increased considerably at the markets, especially in Binh Dien and Hoc Mon wholesale markets. 
Tran Quang Trung, owner of a breeding farm in Dong Nai province, said live pork prices had fallen from 37,000 VND to 33,000-34,000 VND per kg.

Tran Van Hac, business director of CP Company, one of the key pork suppliers for the HCM City market and nearbly provinces, said the increased supply was due to large shipments of pork from the north. 
According to market analysts, lower consumption of pork in the China market has led to the rise in additional supply from the north. 
The price of live pork in the northern region’s breeding farms is 31,000-32,000 VND per kg. Traders transport them to the southern region for sale, aiming to earn high profit.

Price cuts will cause losses for breeding farms, who are already incurring higher costs for feed.

Nha Trang offers sure bet for building hotels

HCM City ( VNA) – The feasibility of building hotels in Nha Trang resort city in central coastal Khanh Hoa province is better than other cities because of its success as a tourism destination, according to real estate service and consultancy provider Savills Viet Nam . 

The total number of tourists coming to Nha Trang has been stable despite the economic slow-down, which indicates a promising future for the hotel market there, Savills said. 

The next few years, Savills reckons that 14 hotel projects with about 2,300 rooms could be completed in Nha Trang. 

Currently, there are 373 hotels in Nha Trang, providing 9,712 hotel rooms. 
They include three 5-star hotels and resorts, five 4-star hotels, twelve 3-star hotels and approximately 51 two-star ones. 

Since October, many hotels of all grades have offered discounted room rates. 

The majority of tourists travelling to Nha Trang during this period are foreigners. Hence, occupancy of 4-star and 5-star hotels is higher than in 3-star hotels due to foreigners’ preference for high quality rooms. 

Nha Trang has long been renowned as a popular tourist destination, but the MICE ( meeting – incentive –conference – event) segment and demand from other business travellers remains limited. 

The number of tourists in Khanh Hoa province increased constantly in the period 2000-08. 

In 2008, despite the global economic downturn, Khanh Hoa welcomed about 1.6 million visitors, an increase of nearly 17 percent compared with 2007, in which domestic and foreign visitors accounted for 80 percent and 20 percent, respectively.

EVN plans new power sources in dry season

Hanoi (VNA) – The Electricity of Vietnam Corporation has announced that there will be sufficient power supply for the dry season in 2010, provided that the new sources of power generation are put into operation on schedule. 

The company also said power demand for the dry season next year will be more than 16 percent higher than in 2007. EVN said it had negotiated with a Chinese power company in Yunnan Province to buy a large quantity of electrical power in the fourth quarter of 2009 and the first six months of 2010. In addition, power supply from the south will be transmitted to the north. 

At present, some 35 million kWh of electricity has been transmitted from the south to the north per day on the 500kV transmission line. EVN said there had been little rain in the north since September this year, and water flow into the reservoirs of hydropower stations was only equal to between 40 and 60 percent compared with last year.

Vietnam Entrepreneurs Association in Belgium & Luxembourg debuts

Brussels (VNA) – The Vietnam Entrepreneurs Association in Belgium and Luxembourg made debut on Dec. 26. 

The association aims to assist its members in investment, trade, business and production in Vietnam , Belgium and Luxembourg and facilitate information exchange with businesses and entrepreneurs in Vietnam and other countries. 

The organisation will also provide information on Vietnam ’s policies to assist its members’ investment in Vietnam.

20 million USD for sea port system development by 2020

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam will need between 360,000-440,000 billion VND (19.5-23.8 million USD) to develop its sea port system by 2020 with a vision towards 2030. 

A master plan for sea port development has been approved by the Prime Minister, aiming to increasing the system’s cargo throughput to 500-600 million tonnes per year by 2015, 900-1,100 million tonnes by 2020 and 2.1 billion tonnes by 2030. 

In the immediate future, priority will be given to developing several international-standards deep-water sea ports to receive big vessels, including the Lach Huyen port in the northern port city of Hai Phong , the Nghi Son port in the northern central province of Thanh Hoa and the Van Phong port in the southern central province of Khanh Hoa . 

The PM in his decision to ratify the plan stressed the need to mobilise all resources in and outside the country for the plan. Capital from the State budget will be used for public infrastructure projects related to seaports such as sand-protection dykes and roads. 

Vietnam currently has 39 sea ports.