 |
| Durian is increasingly popular among Chinese consumers. (Photo: VNA) |
Specifically, Vietnam exported 35,000 tonnes of durian to China during the period, valued at nearly 1.77 million USD. China imported a total of 48,000 tonnes of durian worth some 2.56 million USD through the Youyi Guan border gate.
Li Youyang, Director of Trade at Guangxi Baiguoyuan Technology Co.Ltd., attributed the rise in durian sales to several key factors, saying that with continuous improvements in import procedures and the adoption of advanced cold storage technology, the company's durian sales in the first quarter increased by 20% annually, and prices were 30%-40% lower than in previous years. As a result, many of its durian stores have run out of stock.
Liu Minkun from the Guangxi University pointed out a confluence of factors driving the popularity of durian from ASEAN member countries among Chinese consumers, including high product quality, strong supply chain advantages, positive bilateral relations, e-commerce boom and logistics systems.
Vietnamese students to compete at int’l science, engineering contest in US
Seventeen Vietnamese students will bring their nine projects to compete at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) 2024, slated for May 11-17 in Los Angeles, the US, reported Vietnam News Agency.
 |
| Deputy Minister of Education and Training Pham Ngoc Thuong and students who will take part in Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) 2024 poses for a group photo. (Photo: vtn.vn) |
The projects were selected from the 149 entries sent to the National Science and Technology Competition for high school students in the 2023-2024 academic year.
Initiated in 1950, ISEF is the world's largest global science competition for high school students. Each year, it attracts about 1,500 students from over 70 countries and territories around the world who showcase their research results. The competition offers an opportunity for future young scientists to engage in exchanges with their peers and scientists, including Nobel laureates who come to the fair as judges.
Vietnamese students have participated in the contest since 2012 and brought home prizes.
A project of Vietnamese students won a third prize at the Regeneron ISEF 2023, held in Dallas, the US. The project on pharmacological effects on the central nervous system of Litsea cubeba fruit and leaf essential oils, based on a pharmacological network in the Computational Biology and Bioinformatics (CBIO) category, was developed by Nguyen Thi Mai Anh and Nguyen Binh Giang, from the High School for Gifted Students of the University of Science, under the Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU).
Another project, a quadruped robot model used to assist search and rescue operations in landslide-affected areas by Le Minh Duc and Le Nguyen Trung Kien from Le Hong Phong High School for Gifted Students in Ho Chi Minh City, also earned a Special Awards presented by the US Agency for International Development last year.
First batch of bird's nests exported to France via official channels
The Hai Yen Nha Trang One Member Limited (The Hai Yen) exported its first batch of bird's nests to France in late April, marking the first shipment of the products to the demanding market via official channels, reported the Voice of Vietnam.
 |
| French consumers are keen on Vietnamese bird's nests at the "Foire de Paris" fair |
The company’s key export items to the market include bird's nests, bird's nest drink, and bird's nest coffee, all of which have met stringent quality inspection standards set forth by both French and European markets.
Tran Thanh Hai, director of the Hai Yen, said the company, has worked alongside French authorities for a long time to formulate an inspection framework for bird's nest products to make inroads into the market.
The firm has also exerted tremendous efforts in a bid to ensure the overall product quality and build brands of Vietnamese bird's nest within the international market, she added.
The firm expects these items will become even more popular in France and other markets in the European Union, said Hai.
After going through customs clearance, the company’s bird nest products have made their presence at the "Foire de Paris" fair, one of the largest-scale trade shows in Europe that was held from April 27 to May 8 in Paris.
Last year, Hai Yen also exported its bird's nests to China.
Due to bright export prospects, Vietnam has classified bird's nests as one of the special livestock products.
Over the past decade, the country as implemented a number of policies to promote the development of the bird's nest industry, aiming to earn US$1 billion from export in the coming time.
Quang Ninh tops provincial competitiveness index for 7th year
The northern province of Quang Ninh leads localities across the country in the provincial competitiveness index (PCI) and the provincial green index (PGI) in 2023, reported Vietnam News Agency according to a report jointly released by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) on May 9.
 |
| A view of Ha Long city in Quang Ninh (Source: Vietnamnet) |
Particularly, this was the 7th consecutive year that Quang Ninh had been in the top position in PCI, and the 11th year that the locality was in the group of five centrally-run provinces and cities with the best economic management quality in the country.
Quang Ninh was followed by the Mekong Delta province of Long An in the PCI rankings, while following positions came to northern Hai Phong city, northern Bac Giang province and the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap.
In the PGI rankings, other localities in the top five positions were Da Nang, Dong Nai, Hung Yen and Ho Chi Minh City.
PGI is a set of indexes initiated in 2022 with the intention of contributing to the joint efforts of the business community and local authorities in implementing important policies of the Party and Government on solving major global challenges, including issues of climate change and environmental protection.
Quang Ninh’s success reflected the continuous efforts of the province in enhancing the quality of services for people and businesses.
 |
| Quang Ninh tops provincial competitiveness index for 7th year. (Photo: CPV) |
The 2023 PCI and PGI Report was designed to promote an enabling and environmentally friendly business landscape in Vietnam.
The report was based on the results of a survey for more than 10,000 businesses nationwide. The PCI and PGI 2023 report announced the rankings of the top localities in terms of economic management quality.
This year's report conveyed businesses' assessments of the local administrations' efforts in managing and protecting the environment and promoting green investment and green practices of local enterprises.
Thereby, this report recommended localities to promote green growth and sustainable development. The report also covered the difficulties that businesses in the province went through in production and business.
This is the 19th consecutive year that VCCI has published a set of evaluation and ranking indexes on the quality of economic management, the level of convenience and friendliness of the business environment and the administrative reform efforts of the Government and local authorities nationwide./.