“Fishing in mangrove forest” by Pham Huy Trung
Captured in November 2018, the photo impresses audiences with a mesmerising bird-eye view of a single fisherman paddling through the Ru Cha mangrove forest, which surrounds the lagoon – the largest freshwater lagoon in Southeast Asia. In the shot, the mangroves lose all their leaves in winter, revealing their whitish trunks.
First launched in 2015 within the international Siena Photo Awards, the Drone Photo Awards received around 14,000 photos from over 100 countries this year. In addition to drones, entries were captured from commercial airplanes, helicopters, balloons, parachutes, airships, kites and even rockets.
In addition to the winning shot of Trung, seven other works by Vietnamese photographers entered the final round of the “People” category, introducing the charm of Vietnamese in labour and cultural activities.
Trung, who was trained as an engineer, learned about photography in 2016 and won his first international prize at the 2017 SkyPixel aerial photography contest. He then won several awards including those at the 2018 Siena International Photography Awards, and the Sony World Photography Awards in 2018 and 2019.
Vietnamese trade turnover likely to hit US$645 billion this year
Vietnam’s total import-export turnover is anticipated to reach between US$640 billion and US$645 billion this year with the country set to enjoy a trade surplus, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
These achievements can primarily be attributed to the great efforts made by numerous enterprises which have overcome challenges caused by COVID-19 in order to both maintain and restore production activities.
Most notably, a number of major industries such as garments and textiles, as well as leather and footwear, have fulfilled their targets ahead of schedule, despite being negatively impacted by the pandemic, reported VOV.
The Ministry pointed out that industries will be able to regain the growth momentum from now until the end of the year, potentially reaching the same level as before the pandemic.
Photo for illustration (Source: Vietnam Investment Review)
Furthermore, traditional sectors which boast export strengths such as phones, electronics, machinery and components are projected to achieve export growth of between 15% and 25% this year.
Experts have also stated that new-generation Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Vietnam-EU Trade Agreement (EVFTA) have added fresh impetus to the country’s export activities.
For example, Vietnamese exports to Canada, Mexico, and Peru have enjoyed an annual growth rate of between 25% and 30% thanks to the CPTPP.
With regard to the EVFTA, the rate of taking advantage of the various incentives from the trade pact through the issuance of certificates of origin (C/O) form EUR1 have also reached approximately 20%.
Moreover, several export items to the EU now enjoy low tariff as a result of the incentives from the General System of Preferences (GSP), which has allowed some businesses to go through the process without the need to apply for the C/O EUR1 form.
This is along with enterprises being allowed to conduct self-certification of origin for export shipments worth less than EUR6,000 to the EU market.
However, according to economists, a number of challenges faced by enterprises, including a shortage of workforce and high logistics costs, which have made businesses not restore their production capacity.
Furthermore, unsynchronized anti-pandemic measures at localities under the Government’s new regulation on safe living and flexible adaptation to the pandemic have affected trust of both businesses and investors.
Vietnam moves to widely popularise tra, basa fish in Australia
According to VNA, a programme on branding and market development for Vietnam’s frozen tra and basa (Pangasius) is being held in Australia in November and December.
Tra fish processing (Photo: VNA)
This is part of economic diplomatic activities implemented by the Vietnamese Embassy in conjunction with the Vietnam Trade Office in Australia.
Speaking at a ceremony to launch the programme in Melbourne on November 20, Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Nguyen Tat Thanh said that Vietnam's tra and basa have long been popular in many choosy markets such as the US, Europe and Japan. In Australia, these products are also very famous and present in most supermarkets and food stores across the country.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Nguyen Tat Thanh participates
in the launching ceremony of the program to build a brand and develop the frozen tra, basa fish market
of Vietnam in Melbourne city. (Source: VNA)
The programme is expected to be carried out in many different locations in Australia, including an online “Pangasius Expo” with the participation of nearly 100 businesses in early December.
On the same day, Ambassador Thanh announced a plan to develop the brand of Vietnamese frozen passion fruit in the Australian market. He said that three tonnes of the fruit are being shipped to Australia.
This shipment will soon arrive at the Australian port in the coming days, marking the first time Vietnam's frozen passion fruit has been present in the country.
The ambassador shared that the embassy is actively negotiating with Australia so that Vietnam's fresh passion fruit can be licensed to be imported into the country./.