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| Illustrative photo (Source: VOV) |
With these positive results, durian continues to be the fruit recording the largest export turnover, contributing 17% to the fruit and vegetable industry's total value.
Most notably, fresh and frozen durian accounts for more than 90% and 8.5% of total export turnover, respectively, while other products such as dried durian, durian juice, and durian ice cream make up a small proportion.
During the three-month period, the average export price of durian surged by 15.2% to reach US$4,437 per tonne compared to last year’s corresponding period.
China remained the major consumer of Vietnamese durian throughout the reviewed period with 51,500 tonnes worth more than US$228 million, witnessing an increase of 57.5% in volume and 71% on-year.
Thailand ranked second in terms of importing durian from the Vietnamese market with turnover of US$18 million, nearly doubling last year’s figure and accounting for 7% of the overall market share.
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| Illustrative photo (Source: baodautu.vn) |
Meanwhile, strong export growth was recorded in several markets, including Japan, up 83%; the Republic of Korea, up 61%; Portugal, up 71%; and the Netherlands, up 787.5%.
The sharp rise in durian exports has contributed to raising the fruit and vegetable sector’s revenue to US$1.28 billion for the first time in the first quarter, up 31.4% on-year.
To date, the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) has approved 708 durian growing areas and 168 durian packaging facility codes for Vietnamese durian products.
Recently, the Plant Protection Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development requested that localities review growing areas and processing facilities in a bid to speed up the process of signing the protocol to export frozen durian to China via official channels moving forward.
Ha Long Carnival 2024 to dazzle with fireworks and drone light show
The Ha Long Carnival 2024 festival is expected to offer both local and foreign visitors fresh experiences with fireworks, parades, and the first-ever drone light show taking place to mark the occasion of Reunification Day on April 30 and International Labour Day on May 1, reported the Voice of Vietnam.
The carnival will start with a music gala held on April 28 at Dai Duong park on Vo Nguyen Giap Street in Ha Long City, with the event drawing the participation of local artists and foreign art troupes from Hokaido of Japan, Guangxi of China, Laos, Thailand, and Europe.
The highlight of the festival will be the first-ever drone light show featuring around 1,600 to 2,300 unmanned aerial vehicles. The show will tell stories of Quang Ninh province in the night sky through an art show, along with exciting music and performances put on by artists.
Firework displays, joyous street parades with various colourful costumes and dances on wide streets along the coast, and art performances will also be organised.
Furthermore, tourists coming to Ha Long city will be dazzled by the colourful and bustling atmosphere through 11 culture, sporting, and tourism activities put on from April 27 to May 1, including a beer and squid patties festival, a lion dance festival, and the opening of a culinary pedestrian street in Bai Chay ward.
Vietnam to compete in playoffs to qualify for 2024 Futsal World Cup
The national futsal team were knocked out of the 2024 AFC Futsal Asian Cup after losing in the quarterfinals against Uzbekistan on April 24, meaning they must qualify for the 2024 FIFA Futsal World Cup through a playoff spot instead, reported the Voice of Vietnam.
In the quarterfinals held in Thailand on April 24, the Vietnamese team opened the scoring in the 17th minute thanks to a goal by Nguyen Thinh Phat.
Showing great determination, the players from Uzbekistan equalized in the 34th minute and took a 2-1 lead 10 minutes later. The match ended 2-1 in favour of Uzbekistan. With this result, Uzbekistan joined Thailand, Tajikistan, and Iran in the semifinal, with all four teams winning the right to compete in the global version of the tournament moving forward.
Uzbekistan is also the host of the 2024 FIFA Futsal World Cup, therefore the losers of the quarterfinals of the continental tournament will compete in a playoff bracket to vie for Asia’s fifth spot.
Kyrgyzstan, who lost 6-1 to Iran, will therefore meet Vietnam in a playoff match on April 26.
The 2024 FIFA Futsal World Cup is scheduled to take place in Uzbekistan from September 14 to October 6.
The Vietnamese team have played in two Futsal World Cups before, in 2016 and 2021, reaching the knockouts in both tournaments.
Investor confidence gains traction on improved business climate
Better investment climate, with simplified administrative producers and special incentives, has helped improve investor confidence, thus catalysing investments from a wider pool of both domestic and international investors for socio-economic development, reported Vietnam News Agency.
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| Better investment climate has helped improve investor confidence. (Photo: VNA) |
Over the past time, the capital city of Hanoi has drastically worked to shorten time to handle administrative procedures.
According to Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Ha Minh Hai, 76 documents related to administrative reform and digital transformation were issued in 2023 and the first three months of this year. Besides, the single-window mechanism has been carried out to settle procedures in planning and investment, natural resources and environment and tax, among others, helping locals and businesses save time and costs.
In less than a month since the Government approved the policy investment for a project to develop and operate the infrastructure system of the Dong Anh Industrial Park, the municipal People’s Committee granted the investment certificate to the Vietnam Construction and Import-Export Joint Stock Corporation (Vinaconex).
In the northern port city of Hai Phong, the Hai Phong Economic Zone Authority has been assigned to settle all administrative procedures. Accordingly, it has cooperated with competent authorities, including the Department of Planning and Investment, the Department of Taxation and the Department of Customs, to grant business certificates and tax codes for investors at the earliest.
Chilisin Electronics Corporation, a Taiwan-based enterprise with operation at the Vietnam – Singapore Industrial Park Hai Phong since 2015, registered additional 73.7 million USD to expand its scale in Vietnam.
Deputy Director General of Chilisin Electronics Vietnam Company Limited Liao Yun Hoan said the city’s incentives together with local safety and better business environment is a solid foundation for the firm to enlarge operation in the city, adding the local authority has supported the firm to remove bottlenecks in a timely fashion.
In the same vein, the northern province of Thai Nguyen has recorded radical changes its business environment, making it a bright spot in the country’s FDI investment attraction.
Chinese solar panel maker Trina Solar, a large investor in Thai Nguyen, said that the group completed all investment procedures for its third project at Yen Binh Industrial Park with total registered of 454 million USD in a very short time, raising its total investment in the country to more than 930 million USD.
Despite improved investment climate, investors have encountered formidable challenges while carrying out their projects, including site clearance work and shortage of industrial land funds.
Against this backdrop, local authorities have worked to push ahead land clearance, develop industrial parks and build transport infrastructure to improve regional connectivity./.