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| Da Nang city launches its tourism promotion programme in attracting 8.4 million tourists in 2024. (Photo: VNA) |
Da Nang city’s tourism department said a series of festivals have been listed in the festive schedule from March to the end of this year, creating different options for international and domestic travellers for summer vacations and exploring entertainment events in 2024.
Deputy Director of the municipal tourism promotion agency Truong Lan Huong said at least 5,000 triathletes would join the annual Vinfast Ironman 70.3 Vietnam, while thousands of visitors and athletes will be taking part in the ASEAN School Sports Games, the Da Nang Asian Film Festival, BRG Open Golf Championship, Da Nang International Fireworks Festival and International street arts event.
She said thousands of vouchers have been reserved for gastronomers, accommodation, fireworks festival and food tour service at night.
Han River and iconic colourful light-flooded bridges will be rendezvous for all tourists exploring the amazing night of Da Nang on river cruises and friendly vehicles. The city has introduced Bach Dang pedestrian street to create a tranquil space for all tourists on the Han River banks, she said.
The city will offer gifts for 100 couples hosting wedding parties in Da Nang, or spending honeymoon in the city as well. We also reserve promotions for couples booking Da Nang as a favourite destination for their wedding anniversary, she added.
A report from the city’s tourism department unveiled 1.88 million tourists, of which 600,000 are international, had stayed in the city in the first quarter of this year, a 23.4% increase in comparison to the same period last year.
Nearly 10,000 flights carried 1.6 million passengers to the city in the first three months of 2024. International flights accounted for 50% of total flights in the first quarter, it said.
The city plans to resume and launch five air routes connecting Da Nang with Taichung city and Kaohsiung city of Taiwan (China), Vientiane, Laos, Manila, the Philippines and chartered flights from Fukushima, Japan in the second quarter.
Da Nang, in cooperation with neighbouring Thua Thien – Hue province and Vietnam Railway Corporation has offered two pairs of train serving tourists with check-in and gastronomy space during the three-hour trip between Da Nang and Hue.
The tourism hub in central Vietnam, which was designed as a destination of Meeting, Incentives, Conferencing and Exhibition (MICE) events, has a target of hosting 8.4 million visitors in 2024.
More than 9,000 runners alone joined the 2024 Da Nang International Marathon on March 24.
Early this year, some of the city’s resorts were chosen as ideal venues for Indian couples' weddings and accommodation for their relatives and friends to stay for several days.
Bac Lieu develops shrimp value chain with hi-tech farming models
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| A shrimp farm in Long Dien Dong commune, DongHai district, Bac Lieu province. (Photo: VNA) |
Bac Lieu has set developing hi-tech shrimp farming models as a primary direction to make the Mekong Delta province the "national shrimp industry hub" and develop the "Bac Lieu clean shrimp" brand, reported Vietnam News Agency.
Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Luu Hoang Ly said that the province has built five high-tech shrimp farming areas with an area of 3,900 ha in Nha Mat (Bac Lieu city), Vinh Hau, Vinh Hau A, Vinh Thinh (Hoa Binh district), and Long Dien Tay (Dong Hai district). The areas apply super-intensive, intensive, and semi-intensive farming models, with water-saving farming technology and biosafety farming methods.
Besides, it has paid attention to monitoring aquatic diseases and building disease-free areas and facilities for brackish water shrimp. Since 2017, the province has implemented a scheme for monitoring disease safety for export. The Viet Uc Bac Lieu Joint Stock Company, for example, was supported to build a shrimp production chain to ensure disease safety recommended by the World Organisation for Animal Health so that it can soon be recognised as a disease-free farming area eligible to export shrimp to Australia and other markets.
In 2023, twenty breed production facilities and seven shrimp farming facilities registered to build disease-free facilities.
The province promoted high technology in black tiger shrimp and white leg shrimp farming. At the same time, the province developed clean shrimp farming models in typical ecological areas such as the shrimp-forest model in the southern region of National Highway 1A; and the shrimp - rice model in the north of National Highway 1A. Machines are used in building/restoring ponds, aeration, and water pumping, which helps save labour and increases productivity.
Bac Lieu has three major exports, including shrimp, rice and salt. Among them, shrimp is the biggest foreign currency earner, constituting over 95% of the province's export turnover. The locality aims to earn 1.3 billion USD from shrimp export by 2025 and 1.7 billion USD by 2030.
Currently, there are 45 aquacultural processing factories for export in the province. With modern production lines, they are designed to deal with about 294,000 tonnes per year. The province's shrimp products are qualified to enter high-demanding markets such as the US, Japan, the EU, China, and the Republic of Korea (RoK).
However, according to the provincial agriculture official, Bac Lieu's shrimp sector still faces many difficulties including falling shrimp prices, and high input material costs, particularly animal feed costs.
Moreover, processing and exporting enterprises have not paid attention to building raw material areas, increasing the connection between production and consumption, or building brand.
On the other hand, irrigation infrastructure in many areas is not developed properly, causing difficulties in production activities and disease control. Local farmers still hesitate to invest in the 2-phase shrimp farming model because the high-tech shrimp farming model requires a large investment. Meanwhile, it's difficult for them to access bank loans.
Third Vietnamese interpretation contest held in Moscow
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| Former Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Andrey Tatarinov awards a contest winner. (Photo: VNA) |
Twenty-one students from Russian universities took part in the 3rd Vietnamese interpretation contest held on March 30 at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) under Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reported Vietnam News Agency.
The candidates were required to translate short sentences about socio-political issues from Russian to Vietnamese and vice versa.
Meanwhile, final-year students and graduate students competed in translating a piece of about 200 words about official state visits, the current state of the Russian economy, or the role of ASEAN.
The jury at the contest included professional and veteran interpreters from Russia and Vietnam, former Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Andrey Tatarinov, Russian diplomats who are working in Vietnam, counselor at the Vietnamese Embassy in Russia Doan Khac Hoang, and Director of the Traditions and Friendship fund Nguyen Quoc Hung.
Speaking at the event, Associate Professor of Linguistics, head of MGIMO Language Training Department Marina Chigasheva emphasised that Vietnam always plays an important role in Russia’s foreign policy.
She noted events that contribute to the two countries’ relations recently, including the phone call between Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 26, during which the two leaders mentioned economic cooperation and many other cooperative orientations.
Chigasheva said that the contest has been held for the third time and will become an annual one, which shows the sustainability of the two countries’ relations and the real need for Vietnamese translation and Vietnam studies in Russia.
Director of the Traditions and Friendship fund Nguyen Quoc Hung, who has accompanied the contest from its first edition, said highlighted the increasing quality of the contest, and affirmed that the fund will focus on sponsoring activities to encourage students as well as teachers to teach and learn Vietnamese. He informed that the fund is promoting the teaching of Vietnamese at Russian schools.
Counselor of the Third Asian Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry Ivan Nesterov noted that the organisation of the contest has become increasingly professional, attracting students across Russia.
VNA’s multilinguistic magazine reaches ASEAN readers in Russia
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| Foreign students read Vietnam Pictorial - a multilinguistic publication of the Vietnam News Agency. (Photo: VNA) |
Several printed editions of Vietnam Pictorial – a multilinguistic publication of the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) have been presented to the ASEAN Centre at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) under Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reported Vietnam News Agency.
The centre's director Associate Professor Ekaterina Koldunova highlighted the publication's content, saying that it provides various information about Vietnam for readers while receiving VNA correspondents in Moscow on March 30.
The centre's readers can learn much about Vietnam if the centre has all the issues for the whole year, she said.
She highly valued articles about traditional culture and arts. The well-designed publication, especially high-quality printed photos are impressive teaching materials for students, she said./
HCM City becomes member of UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities
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| The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee holds a ceremony to receive the certificate of membership of the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities. (Photo: VNA) |
The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee on March 30 held a ceremony to receive the certificate of membership of the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities, reported Vietnam News Agency.
Speaking at the event, Chairwoman of the municipal People’s Council Nguyen Thi Le described the city's membership of the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities as a great honour, saying that this is the result of a process of building a lifelong learning environment for people in the city, demonstrates the world's recognition of the policies, commitments, and efforts of Vietnam in general and Ho Chi Minh City in particular in ensuring quality, equitable, comprehensive education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for everyone, thus contributing to raising the status of Vietnam's education in the international arena.
According to Le, this is also an opportunity for all people and the city's administration to continue to put forward action programmes to make the southern metropolis a place where all people, regardless of their age, or nationality, can continue to learn.
Moreover, becoming a member of the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities will create an open learning environment where each citizen can develop the skills and knowledge needed to adapt and thrive in the digital world.
The city is committed to continuing to work closely with other members of the network to share experiences, learn and build better learning environments for all, Le said.
Jonathan Wallace Baker, Chief Representative of the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) in Vietnam, said that Ho Chi Minh City is a vibrant economic and cultural centre of Vietnam and the region.
He added that the UNESCO is very interested in the city's initiative on building a set of criteria on happy schools, based on the UNESCO's global happy schools framework. This model will be at the heart of educational innovation, placing happiness as a key factor in improving learning quality.
Duong Anh Duc, Vice Chairman of the HCM City People's Committee, said as a member of the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities, the city will have more action programmes to ensure lifelong learning for people.
On this occasion, the municipal People's Committee launched an action programme to build a "UNESCO global learning city" in the 2024 – 2030 period in the city./.