Authority takes a hard line on railway traffic safety violations on Hanoi’s “railway café street”

Tuesday, 04/10/2022 16:33
The Vietnam Railway Authority (VRA) has insisted that it will take a hard line on railway traffic safety violations along Hanoi’s popular "railway café street" sketching across the inner districts of Hoan Kiem, Ba Dinh, Dong Da and Hai Ba Trung in its recent report to the Ministry of Transport (MoT).
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The popular "railway café street" in Hanoi. (Photo: VNA) 

According to VNA, its stance aligns with the MoT’s direction, VRA said, adding that measures will be adopted to prevent crowds of people from accessing the area to shoot photos and film videos, posing a high risk of accidents.

Regarding proposals from rail-side residents to fix safety concerns, the authority agreed that education on railway safety should be strengthened. It has asked local administrations in collaboration with the Vietnam Railways (VNR) to accelerate safety awareness campaigns, provide residents in the area with updated train timetables and encourage them to make written commitments to strictly observing safety rules.

However, it dismissed the recommendation of installing extra sound signals of training crossing and electronic billboards displaying train timetables along the street, saying the area is already so cramped that if the installation is done, it will affect train drivers’ visibility. Moreover, the train crossing warning system will potentially disrupt railway signals, it said.

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Measures will be adopted to prevent crowds of people from accessing the area to shoot photos and film videos, posing a high risk of accidents, according to the VRA. (Photo: VNA) 

According to longtime residents in downtown Hanoi, the "railway café street" was a modern invention. This area used to be apartment buildings close to the railway, and over the years, these apartments deteriorated.

After some foreign tourists discovered this place in 2018, pictures they took widely circulated on the internet. Quickly catching up with the trend, some households have renovated and repaired the facades to turn them into coffee shops.

By the end of 2019, this special street was forced to shut down due to safety concerns.

In the last months, domestic and foreign tourists, including many young people in the capital city, have returned to this 'street' for its uniqueness. Many people even lie down on the railway tracks to pose for photos.

Last month, coffee shops lining the “railway café street” were once again told they must close over safety concerns.

Tourists have been turned away from the spot as barricades and signs warning of dangerous areas are put up and local police officers are patrolling, prompting residents here to send petitions to ask for a more flexible solution from the authorities that can help them maintain their livelihoods while ensuring safety for tourists.

Rubber exports gross US$2.32 billion over nine months

According to VOV, Vietnam exported approximately 1.41 million tonnes of rubber worth US$2.32 billion during the past nine months of the year, representing a rise of 9.7% in volume and 7.8% in value compared the same period from last year.

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Rubber exports gross US$2.32 billion over nine months  (Source: VOV)

According to figures released by the General Department of Vietnam Customs, September alone saw the country ship some 210,000 tonnes of rubber worth US$305 million abroad, representing an annual rise of 16% in volume and 2% in value.

The average export price in September reached US$1,455 per tonne, marking a drop of 4% from the previous month and 12.1% lower than September last year.

In the initial eight months of the year, major Vietnamese rubber exports mainly consist of a mixture of natural rubber and synthetic rubber, Latex, SVR 3L, SVR 10, RSS3, and SVR CV60.

Of these, the mixture of natural rubber and synthetic rubber is the most exported item, accounting for 56.4% of the nation’s total export volume of rubber with turnover hitting US$14 billion, representing a decline of 1.3% in volume, but up 1.1% in value against last year’s corresponding period.

Most notably, rubber exports to the Chinese market made up 99.7% of the country's total export of natural and synthetic rubber, with turnover reaching US$1.13 billion, a drop of 1.1% in volume, but up 1.3% in value on-year.

The global rubber market in September is anticipated to be impacted by China’s slowing demand for rubber products coupled with falling crude oil prices and ongoing concerns about a global economic recession.

According to industry experts, rubber prices are unlikely to increase sharply in the near future as the global supply source of natural rubber is expected to rise as a result of acceleration in mining activities.

Furthermore, the demand from tire companies may not be strong due to the possibilities of a global economic recession in the future.

Agro, forestry, aquatic trade surplus doubles in nine months

Vietnam’s foreign trade of agro, forestry and aquatic products hit some 74.7 billion USD in the first nine months of 2022, a year-on-year rise of 10.7%, VNA reported the latest data released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

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Illustrative image. (Photo: VNA) 

Exports reached about 40.8 billion USD while imports totalled 33.9 billion USD, up 15.2% and 5.7%, respectively, year-on-year, and this means the trade surplus of the sector mounted to 6.9 billion USD, doubling the same period last year.

In September alone, exports spurred 28.7% compared to the same month last year to over 4.2 billion USD. However, the figure was 8.8% lower than the previous month’s.

Last month’s export turnover from major agricultural products exceeded 1.8 billion USD, while those from forestry products and seafood stood at over 1.3 billion USD and 900 million USD, respectively.

During the nine-month period, Vietnam exported more than 16.8 billion USD worth of key agro products, a year-on-year increase of 7.5%. Shipments of major forestry products valued around 13.3 billion USD and seafood, 8.5 billion USD, up 10.8% and 38%, respectively.

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Photo for illustration (Source: VNA) 

Seven products with export revenue surpassing 2 billion USD each include coffee, rubber, rice, vegetables and fruits, shrimp, and wood.

High upturn was seen in the export of coffee (37.6%), cassava (21%), tra fish (83.3%), and shrimp (24.8%).

A downturn, meanwhile, was recorded in some others, including vegetables and fruits (11.1%), cashew nuts (14%), and livestock products (18.4%).

The US remained Vietnam’s largest buyer, spending over 10.5 billion USD which accounts for 25.8% of the total. It was, again, followed by China (7.4 billion USD) and Japan (3.1 billion USD).

A total of 4,597 Production Unit Codes (PUCs) and 1,419 Packing House Codes (PHCs) have been granted in Vietnam, enabling exporters to ship fresh fruits such as dragon fruit, mango, banana, pomelo, longan and lychee to major markets like China, the US, Australia, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, and Japan./.

Compiled by BTA

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