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| Phu Tan sedge mat craft village in Tuy An district, Quang Nam province, builds a rural tourism model associated with OCOP products. (Photo: VNA) |
The event was held by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in collaboration with the UN Tourism and the provincial People’s Committee, drawing the participation of 300 delegates from 50 countries and territories.
Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho An Phong said the conference focused on three strategic topics of national and local policies on promoting rural tourism, community engagement and empowerment in tourism development, and initiatives to facilitate market access for rural destinations.
Over the past years, tourism has bolstered socio-economic development and economic restructuring in Vietnam’s rural areas while preserving ecological landscapes and cultural heritage and narrowing income disparities between rural and urban regions.
Boasting a kaleidoscope of cultural traits and rich natural resources, the country has developed distinctive agricultural and rural tourism products that attract large numbers of visitors. Meanwhile, rural tourism has been an important catalyst for agricultural and rural development through livelihood transformation, stimulation of agricultural product consumption, maintenance of traditional crafts, and development of local staples, according to Phong.
UN Tourism Executive Director Zoritsa Urosevic affirmed that the conference was a milestone of the UN Tourism in seeking ways to build and popularise rural tourism products, adding the event also underscored the organisation’s commitment to rural tourism as a fundamental platform for sustainable global tourism development.
On the occasion, the provincial People’s Committee will arrange a field trip on December 11 for delegates to explore local rural tourism products, including Tra Que vegetable village, Thanh Ha pottery village, and Hoi An ancient city.
Cinnamon export bags nearly 250 million USD in eleven months
Vietnam earned 250 million USD from cinnamon exports in Jan-Nov 2024, according to the Vietnam Pepper and Spice Association (VPSA).
VBSP reported that in November, Vietnam exported 10,754 tons of cinnamon, worth 28.8 million USD, up 5.8% from the previous month.
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| Cinnamon exports earned nearly 250 million USD over the past eleven months. (Photo: congthuong.vn) |
India and the US are the two main cinnamon export markets of Vietnam, with 4,429 tons and 1,253 tons, accounting for 41.2% and 11.7% respectively. Meanwhile, Prosi Thang Long continues to be the largest exporter, accounting for 15.6% of the export market share, with 1,673 tons. It was followed by Son Ha Spices, 699 tons; Tuan Minh, 676 tons; Senspices, 531 tons and Olam Vietnam, 440 tons.
In the eleven months, Vietnam exported 90,270 tons of cinnamon, worth 249.2 million USD, up 10.2% in volume and up 3.9% in value compared to the same period last year.
The leading exporters include Prosi Thang Long with 13,213 tons, accounting for 14.6%; Son Ha Spices, 5,649 tons, 6.3%; Tuan Minh, 4,372 tons, 4.8%; Senspice Vietnam, 3,974 tons, 4.4% and Olam Vietnam, 3,677 tons, 4.1%.
The main export markets of Vietnamese cinnamon include India, 31,829 tons, accounting for 35.3%; the United States, 9,867 tons, 10.9% and Bangladesh, 7,536 tons, 8.3%.
Vietnam earns over 1.2 billion USD from pepper exports in 11 months
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Vietnam earned over 1.2 billion USD from pepper exports over the past eleven months. (Photo: cafef.vn)
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Vietnam exported 235,335 tons of pepper between January and November 2024, valued at 1.22 billion USD, down 3.5% in volume but up 46.9% in value year on year, according to the Vietnam Pepper and Spice Association (VPSA).
The 11 month volume includes 207,498 tons of black pepper and 27,837 tons of white pepper. The US emerged as the biggest importer of Vietnam’s pepper over the past eleven months, said VPSA.
In November alone, the country shipped abroad 15,948 tons of pepper of all types, worth 106.5 million USD, statistics show.
During the 11-month period, the US was Vietnam's top pepper importer, purchasing 67,802 tons, a significant 41.1% increase from a year earlier, accounting for 28.8% of the total volume. It was followed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with a 42.7% rise and a 6.6% share, and Germany with a 67.7% rise and a 6% share.
Many markets recorded double-digit growth such as the Netherlands (41.8%), the Republic of Korea (34.8%), Pakistan (34.5%), Canada (19.7%), Russia (15.5%) and the UK (14%). Meanwhile, China is the 6th largest importer of Vietnamese pepper, but exports to this market nosedived by 83.6% year-on-year.
The VPSA also said that between January and November, Vietnam imported 32,977 tons of pepper of all kinds, with a total import turnover of 155.3 million USD, up 34.7% in volume and 92.6% in value against the same period last year.
Vietnam – China trade close to 200 billion USD
Two-way trade turnover between Vietnam and China reached 185.4 billion USD between January and November 2024, close to a new record of 200 billion USD, according to the latest report released by the General Statistics Office (GSO).
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| Vietnam – China trade close to 200 billion USD |
Specifically, Vietnam’s exports to China posted 55.2 billion USD, a year-on-year decline of 0.9%, while imports from the market reached 130.2 billion USD, a year-on-year rise of 29.7%. Overall, the average two-way trade turnover between the two sides hit 16.8 billion USD per month.
If the level of export growth momentum is maintained, then two-way trade turnover is likely to hit a new record of 200 billion USD this year, equivalent to nearly a quarter of the country's total import-export turnover.
Currently, agricultural products are Vietnam’s main export item to the Chinese market. In the first ten months of 2024, the country’s agricultural export turnover to China reached nearly 10 billion USD, a year-on-year rise of 11.6%.
So far, Vietnam has had 14 agricultural products officially exported to China, including: durian, bird’s nest, sweet potato, dragon fruit, longan, rambutan, mango, jackfruit, watermelon, banana, black jelly, mangosteen, lychee and passion fruit.
Among them, several farm products such as durian and dragon fruit have become popular among Chinese consumers, with the import volume of these items from the Vietnamese market accounting for one-fifth of the total agricultural products imported from the ASEAN region.
According to GSO, total import-export turnover between both sides reached 171.9 billion USD last year.
Asia sends most tourists to Vietnam in 11 months
Vietnam greeted about 1.7 million international tourist arrivals in November 2024, turning November into the most successful month for tourism this year, according to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism.
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| Photo for illustration. (Source: toquoc.vn) |
Over the first 11 months, Vietnam welcomed more than 15.8 million international tourist arrivals, a year-on-year rise of 41%.
According to the General Statistics Office (GSO), nearly 13.4 million international tourists arrived by air, accounting for 85% of the total and marking a 36% annual rise. Over 2.2 million visitors entered Vietnam by land, representing a 67% growth, while 221,000 others arrived by sea.
Tourism revenue for the first 11 months is estimated at 2.3 billion USD, reflecting a 17% hike compared to the same period last year. This success is attributed to local tourism promotion efforts that have been in full swing since early this year.
Over the past 11 months, Asia sent the most tourists to Vietnam with nearly 80%, with a significant 60% coming from the Republic of Korea, China, Taiwan (China), and Japan./.