Hoi An ancient city (Source: thanhnien.com.vn)
The ancient city of Hoi An in the central province of Quang Nam, with its signature yellow walls and centuries-old houses, was voted as the best place for photography in the Southeast Asian country.
It was followed by Sa Pa township with majestic mountains and amazing rice terraces, and the capital city of Hanoi with its bustling Old Quarter.
Ha Long Bay with thousands of towering limestone pillars topped by rainforests came in fourth while Ho Chi Minh City, famed for its colonial French heritages, ranked fifth.
Other names in the list were Da Lat, Ninh Binh, Da Nang, Mui Ne and Hue.
This result was based on the sharing on the most favoured destinations for “photo hunting” journeys of 20,934 tourists from 28 countries and territories.
Vietnam enjoys export potential to Turkish market
Despite the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic, agricultural exports are seeing bright signs, with Turkey emerging as a potential market for Vietnam, according to insiders.
Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)
Data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK) show that in the first half of 2021, Vietnam accounts for 94 percent of the market share of cashew imported to Turkey with 4,607 tonnes, bagging 16.47 million USD, reported to Vietnam News Agency.
Moreover, the export price of Vietnam's cashew nuts in recent months has decreased compared to the beginning of this year, which has partly helped boost the amount of the product exported to Turkey and occupied a lion's share despite the increasing cost of transportation. The export of Vietnam's pepper to in the Turkish market also recorded a significant growth.
Vietnam keeps the position of the largest exporter of pepper with 2,236.3 tonnes to Turkey for more than 4.32 million USD, occupying nearly 60 percent of the market share in the first 6 months of 2021.
It is currently ranked 4th in terms of export turnover of natural rubber products, accounting for 11.7 percent of the export market share to Turkey.
This shows that the rubber importers of Turkey have gradually paid more attention to this product of Vietnam instead of that from Indonesia or Thailand. The main reason is that the price and quality of Vietnamese product are gradually gaining a competitive advantage over other competitors. Some other Vietnamese exports having strengths and opportunities to penetrate the Turkish market include rice, tea, and seafood.
The Vietnam Trade Office in Turkey recommends that the Government continue to encourage domestic enterprises to participate in trade promotion programmes and fairs in Turkey so as to seek cooperation opportunities with Turkish cashew processing and distribution enterprises.
China resumes importing Vietnamese dragon fruit, bananas
China has agreed to resume importing Vietnamese dragon fruit and bananas through the Kim Thanh International Border Gate in Lao Cai province following a hiatus due to COVID-19, reported VOV.
Kim Thanh International Border Gate in Lao Cai province
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam unveiled the information during a meeting held on September 9 with leaders of the Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development of 19 provinces in southern Vietnam.
Nam revealed that his ministry has dispatched a working group to work out a plan alongside the Chinese Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City aimed at facilitating customs clearance through the northern border gate.
According to the plan, the Hekou administration in China’s Yunnan province has permitted customs clearance for Vietnamese bananas through the Kim Thanh – Hekou border gate. The Chinese side has also agreed to re-import Vietnamese dragon fruit via the border gate.
However, both sides are now continuing to negotiate and agree on quarantine measures in order to officially resume customs procedures for the fresh fruit.
Deputy Minister Nam has therefore suggested that southern provinces that are famous for growing tropical fruits for export update information and come up with plans for exporting their products to China and avoiding congestion at border gates.
Recent days has seen customs clearance procedures for Vietnamese farm produce through Kim Thanh border gate slow down significantly which was largely attributed to the fact that both sides have recently implemented strict regulations regarding quarantine work.
In addition, China has also issued a number of stricter regulations relating to product quality standards, food safety and hygiene, along with the origin of the growing area for some products such as jackfruits, mangoes, dragon fruit, and watermelons./.