Photo for illustration (Source: kinhtedothi.vn)
In the first four months of 2021, the total disbursement of public investment reached VND98.7 trillion (US$4.3 billion), equivalent to 21.5% of the yearly target and up 16.3% over the same period in 2020.
Of the total, the disbursement of public investment capital managed by central agencies was VND15.1 trillion, up 25.5% while that managed by local agencies was VND83.6 trillion, up 14.8%.
Thus, the disbursement of public investment from the State budget in April and in the first four months of this year reached its highest level in the 2017-2021 period, the GSO stated.
According to the GSO, ministries, sectors and localities have focused on promoting the disbursement of capital from the State budget in recent months thanks to the effective control of the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam. As a result, the disbursement of public investment in April and in the first four months of this year reached its highest level since 2017.
Localities and ministries reported high disbursement rates including Thai Binh (76.74%), Ha Nam (50.57%), the State Audit (46.89%), Hung Yen (43.21%), Thanh Hoa (42.39%) and Quang Ninh (39.62%).
Vietnam’s garment industry looking towards sustainable development
The Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS) is committed to promoting the sector’s sustainable development with the aim of raising the living standards of its employees under the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to the Vietnam News Agency.
Photo for illustration (Source: baotintuc.vn)
It has been estimated that the global fashion industry consumed 79 billion cubic metres of water, emitted 1,715 million tonnes of CO2, and generated 92 million tonnes of waste in 2015 alone. The figures are forecast to grow by at least 50 percent by 2030.
To achieve sustainable development and be able to compete in the fashion industry’s global supply chain, Vietnam should not rely on cheap labour but on quality, technology, productivity, delivery time, and transparency, said VITAS President Vu Duc Giang. It also needs to minimise the consumption of energy and resources and invest in advanced technology to meet international standards on work and the environment, he added.
Dr Do Quynh Chi, Director of the Research Centre for Employment Relations (ERC), said Vietnamese manufacturers must boost production values to have the necessary resources to invest in complying with international labour and environmental standards and build a long-term and direct relationship with fashion brands.
A recent survey by the ERC shows that if local producers remain outsourcing sub-contractors who have profit margins squeezed by buyers in most cases, there is no other way for them to secure the resources needed for investing in sustainable development. They could even “fall out” of the global supply chain.
Manufacturers must see employees as their greatest resource, Giang said. They must establish links with peer producers to not only bring their strengths into full play but also to take advantage of the strengths of others, he noted.
He went on to cite the fact that at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, a number of Vietnamese producers succeeded in delivering orders for billions of face masks to buyers in the US and France within a month, due to their level of cooperation.
According to a report from the ERC, up to 50 percent of fashion brands only purchase from major factories with 1,000 workers or more, as they assume that smaller suppliers will be unable to meet quality standards and fulfil their corporate responsibility requirements.
If there are no doors left open for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), they will easily fall into the supply chains of discounters, which can lead to the entire domestic garment industry joining a “race to the bottom”, Chi said.
She stressed the need to design support policies for SMEs in terms of technology and management, allowing them to engage in sustainable development standards and climb up sustainable global supply chains.
International photography awards highlight beautiful Vietnam
Vietnamese photos capturing the daily life and culture of the Vietnamese people have won the Pink Lady Food Photography competition, the Nhan Dan newspaper said.
The photo "Breakfast at a rural market" by Nguyen Huu Thong
The competition was launched by the United Kingdom in 2011. This year, it received over 10,500 photos from 70 countries around the world across 25 categories.
The photo entitled “Bua sang o cho phien” (Breakfast at a rural market) by Nguyen Huu Thong won first prize in the “Food at the Table” category.
Meanwhile, the work “Thuong thuc” (Enjoying) by Tran Viet Van was honoured with first prize in the “Street Food” category.
Several other Vietnamese photos were also highlighted in terms of their artistic and aesthetic merit, such as: “Mua thu hoach vai thieu” (The litchi harvest season) and “Bua com mua dong” (Winter meal) by Nguyen Huu Thong and “Luoi ca” (Fish net) by Nguyen Phuoc Hoai.
The winning photos and those selected for the final will be displayed in Bristol from November 22 to December 22./.