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| Packaging coffee products at Classic Coffee Company in Gia Lai province. (Photo: VNA) |
August alone witnessed the country export 1,080 tonnes of pepper worth US$6.4 million to the German market, marking a drop of 24.4% in volume and 29.2% in value compared to the previous month, but up 74.2% in volume and 2.4 times in value compared to the same period from last year.
Germany has risen to become Vietnam's second largest pepper export market after the United States, with its market share increasing from 3.3% in the same period to 6.6% in the opening eight months of the year.
According to data released by the European Statistical Office (Eurostat), Germany's pepper imports have been also increasing significantly with 12,029 tonnes worth EUR57.6 million by the end of June this year, up 25.4% in volume and 31.4% in value on-year.
Germany is currently the largest pepper importer in the EU with Vietnam being the largest supplier to the Central European nation.
Accordingly, Germany's pepper imports from the Vietnamese market in the first half of the year reached 6,652 tonnes, up 67.7% over the same period from last year and accounting for 55.3% of the country's total pepper imports,
The export price of Vietnamese pepper in the German market stood at an average of US$4,420 per tonne, up 11.3% on-year, higher than the figure of US$4,074 per tonne of Brazil, the main competitor in this market.
Statistics indicate that the country exported 182,930 tonnes of pepper worth nearly US$878 million during the eight-month period, down 2.7% in volume but up 42.8% in value against the same period from last year.
Japanese investors begin building property projects in Da Nang
Japanese firms Sun Frontier and Cosmos Housing have started constructing two property projects in the beach city, sparking the recovery of the deadlocked real estate market, reported Vietnam News Agency.
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| A construction ground-breaking ceremony for the Da Nang Landmark project in Da Nang City. (Photo courtesy of DINCO) |
The Cosmos Housing company broke ground on its twin tower trading house project Da Nang Landmark on an area of 3,765 sq.m with an investment of 1.6 trillion VND (64 million USD).
The building, located on the bank of the Han River, will include 446 apartments and eight shophouses and is expected to be completed by the second quarter of 2027.
Morii Takayuki, general director of Cosmos Housing, said the project's design is typical of Da Nang in terms of architecture.
He said construction would be completed in 33 months.
Vice Chairman of the Da Nang municipal People’s Committee Ho Ky Minh, stressed the Da Nang landmark project was developed in line with the city’s Master Plan and offers opportunities to boost tourism and the service industry in the city.
Meanwhile, Sun Frontier, another Japanese investor, also began constructing its Hiyori Aqua Tower in the Son Tra Peninsula, known for its rich biodiversity. The tower is the company's second investment project in Da Nang City after its Hiyori Garden Tower was built in 2019.
Yamada Yasushi, chairman of the company, said it has been investing in the city since 2015, and the Hiyori Aqua Tower is the firm's second investment project in the beach hub.
The 25-storey luxury project will include 202 flats and is set for completion in the third quarter of 2026.
According to the city’s construction department, 17 commercial housing projects have been listed for foreigners to own homes, including eight on the Son Tra peninsula and six in the downtown Hai Chau district.
Mikazuki Hotel Group of Japan officially opened its 168.16 million USD Da Nang Mikazuki Japanese Resort & Spa in 2022.
Da Nang has drawn 4.3 billion USD investment from FDI projects, of which Japanese businesses constitute a 30% share.
The city’s investment promotion agency said import-export turnover between Japan and Da Nang reached 1 billion USD in 2023, including 650 million USD in exports to Japan.
Singapore invests over US$80 million in coffee factory in Binh Dinh
The Binh Dinh Economic Zone Management Board on September 17 decided to grant an investment registration certificate to Food Empire Group of Singapore to construct a US$80.74 million freeze-dried instant coffee factory in Binh Dinh province, reported the Voice of Vietnam.
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| An overview of the granting ceremony (Photo: VOV) |
Construction work is scheduled to get underway this September and the facility will be put into operation by early 2028.
Covering on an area of 7.11 hectares, the freeze-dried instant coffee factory will be located in Becamex VSIP Binh Dinh Industrial Park of the Nhon Hoi Economic Zone in Canh Vinh commune of Van Canh district.
The factory will produce and export freeze-dried instant coffee, with a capacity of 5,400 tonnes of products annually and an operating period of 46 years from the date of issuance of the investment registration certificate.
Representatives of the Binh Dinh Provincial Economic Zone Management Board stated that once fully operational, the project will contribute to launching new industrial products, thereby becoming a growth driver for the province's processing industry, opening up new investment opportunities, and creating new jobs for more than 200 workers in the process.
Bac Lieu plans to become renewable energy export hub
Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha has signed off a development plan for the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu that will cost 16-18 billion USD from now until 2030, reported Vietnam News Agency.
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| A Bac Lieu offshore wind farm (Photo: VNA) |
The plan includes two main projects, which are to establish Bac Lieu as the country's renewable energy export hub and to develop the city and neighbouring areas into a national tourism zone.
Decision 968 detailed a master plan to develop the province during the 2021-30 period and until 2050, in line with the Prime Minister’s Decision 1598 from 2023.
It is estimated to cost around 400-450 trillion VND (16-18 billion USD) for the 2021-30 period, to achieve an annual average gross regional domestic product (GDPR) growth rate of 11.5%.
Of this, the capital requirement for the 2021-25 period is 180-190,000 trillion VND (7.3-7.7 billion USD) and for the 2026-30 period it is 220-260 trillion VND (8.9-10.6 billion USD).
The plan will be carried out mainly under the public-private-partnership mechanism (PPP), but foreign investments will also be welcome.
Priority will be given to infrastructure projects with significant impacts, especially strategic ones that connect different areas together and connect the locality with other provinces in the region.
They include highways and coastal roads that run through Bac Lieu, as well as those that connect it with the coastal economic corridor from Long An to Kien Giang.
Projects that will be prioritised for investment are in the fields of renewable energy, new energy, agricultural and fishery processing and consumption, industrial development and digital transformation.
The plans for all of the projects will need to be reviewed carefully by 2025 to make sure they are in line with each other, according to the master plan, including urban and rural development strategies, land use and the technical and specialised plans for each field.
Vietnam picks up medals at World Skills Lyon 2024
The Vietnamese team bagged one bronze medal and three certificates of excellence at the 47th World Skills Competition in France, reported the Voice of Vietnam.
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| Photo: VOV |
According to the results of the competition, with a total score of 729, Pham Thanh Dat from Hanoi University of Industry won a bronze medal in CNC milling.
The three certificates of excellence went to Ho Chi Nguyen for his best skills in the IT network system administration, Nguyen Khoa Hai Minh in the CAD mechanical engineering design, and Cu Duc Hieu in the CNC lathe field.
This represents the third consecutive time that the Vietnamese delegation has won medals at the World Skills Competition. The Best of Nation prize of the Vietnamese delegation went to Ho Chi Nguyen in the IT network system administration profession.
Nguyen Chi Truong, director of the Department of Vocational Skills, emphasized that these achievements have proved Vietnamese contestants and experts’ great efforts amid numerous difficulties faced in terms of gaining access to advanced and modern technology for both vocational education and vocational skills development./.