A representative of young workers in HCM City presents Tet gifts to Lao and Cambodian students (Photo: VNA)
The gifts were presented by young workers of the HCM City Power Corporation which also signed an agreement with the dormitory of Lao students to organise many cultural and sports exchanges between local young workers and students of Laos and Cambodia in celebration of the traditional New Year festivals of the three countries.
At the event, participants learned about the Tet customs of Vietnam through playing folk games, making traditional dishes, and trying calligraphy.
The activity was also meant to give spiritual support to Lao and Cambodian students who have to be far away from their families for a long time due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact.
On January 23, the HCM City Confederation of Labour held several Tet celebrations for disadvantaged workers who are unable to return to their hometowns to welcome the first days of the Year of the Tiger.
Lam Dong sets to welcome 5 million visitors in 2022
The Central Highlands province of Lam Dong eyes to welcome 5 million visitors, including 150,000 foreigners, this year, reported Vietnam News Agency heard at the conference held by the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism on January 23.
The Valley of Love in Da Lat City, the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong. (Photo: VNA)
To this end, the province plans to restore some traditional festivals of local ethnic minority groups and launch various new tourism products, such as adventure tours in Tuyen Lam Lake in the resort city of Da Lat and Bidoup Nui Ba National Park, and healthcare, camping and glamping tours in Da Lat.
It will also introduce a week-long travel festival this year and develop Da Lat as a smart tourism city.
Lam Dong has received a large number of vacationers at the end of last year, signaling a good start for the industry recovery in 2022, said Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc.
The province will not only improve its service quality and create new products but also provide visitors with the best conditions when it comes to COVID-19 rules, given the relatively high vaccine coverage, she said.
COVID-19 cases nears 15,000 on January 23
Vietnam recorded 14,978 cases of COVID-19 during 24 hours from 4pm January 22 to 4pm January 23, including 44 imported cases, reported Vietnam News Agency according to the Ministry of Health.
A woman gets vaccinated against COVID-19 in Phu Tho province (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi continued to record the highest number of infections with 2,967 cases, followed by Da Nang with 984 and Hai Phong with 724.
The national tally reached 2,141,422.
On the day, the country saw 123 deaths from the disease. The death toll now hits 36,719.
A total 4,157 patients were given the all-clear, taking the total number of recoveries to 1,804,849.
Foreign envoys join lunar New Year experience in Hanoi
Nearly 30 foreign ambassadors and representatives of foreign offices and international organisations in Hanoi on January 23 had a visit to Duong Lam ancient village in the outskirts of Hanoi and a look into activities of the Vietnamese lunar New Year, reported Vietnam News Agency.
Foreign diplomats in "ao dai" (the traditional costume of Vietnam) pose for a photo when visiting Duong Lam village on January 23 (Photo: VNA)
The envoys, mostly from key tourism markets of Vietnam and Hanoi, experienced a traditional market space of the most important festival in Vietnam with pavilions offering local specialties and handicraft products. They also joined an event featuring the traditional cultural activities of the occasion.
Typical foods of the New Year were also offered to the foreign guests who had a look into traditional customs and practices, as well as trades of the locality.
This year’s annual cultural event was held to popularise the traditional cultural values of the Vietnamese people to foreign friends.
The visit is expected to create a push for the tourism demand among the people of Hanoi and nearby localities.
Vietnam striving to regain foothold for pepper industry
Vietnam is seeking ways to revive the billion-dollar pepper industry which has been struggling against unfavourable weather conditions and the COVID-19 pandemic for over the last several years, reported Vietnam News Agency.
Illustrative photo. (Source: VNA)
Vietnamese producers are likely to face a shortage in raw pepper for processing and export in 2022 due to global undersupply, according to a representative from the International Pepper Community (IPC). Demand is bouncing back sharply around the world as restaurants and dining services are allowed to reopen. Meanwhile, global output fell well short of the demand because, except for Brazil that is now in the middle of the harvest season, supply dries out in other major producers such as Indonesia and India.
The Vietnam Pepper Association (VPA) is considering importing pepper from neighbouring countries to ensure sufficient supply for domestic processing, according to Chairman Nguyen Hai Nam. Last year, Vietnam’s pepper imports from Cambodia soared 111 percent compared to 2020, he said.
Pepper output in Cambodian provinces bordering with Vietnam can reach 30,000 tonnes per year. Despite the fact that the number only accounts for one-tenth of Vietnam’s output, it can help ease the shortage in the coming time.
Data from the VPA shows that pepper was sold at 90,000 VND (3.98 USD) per kg last year, almost doubling the previous year’s 48,000 VND per kg, after constant reduction over the last few years.
Hoang Phuoc Binh, Chairman of the Chu Se Pepper Association, said to sustainably develop the pepper industry, the government and concerned ministries and agencies must provide accurate, timely updates on areas under the spice in Vietnam and the globe, and other information regarding processing, distribution and consumption to help producers develop suitable strategy.
In 2021, Vietnam exported 260,000 tonnes of pepper for some 950 million USD, down 9 percent in volume and up 44 percent in value against 2020./.