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Vietnam’s exports to Americas reach 8.21 billion USD in January – Photo for illustration
(Source: baotintuc.vn)
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Specifically, Vietnam enjoys a trade surplus of roughly US$6.56 billion with the market in January, said Radio the Voice of Vietnam.
The United States remains the nation’s leading trading partner in the region, with the country's exports to the market reaching US$7.2 billion, followed by Canada with approximately US$360 million.
Last year witnessed import-export turnover between the country and the Americas region record positive growth, reaching US$153.9 billion, up 10.7% compared to 2021, according to details given by the Ministry of Industry and Trade
Most notably, all major markets in the region recorded stable export growth, including the US at 11%, Brazil at 6.6%, Canada at 16.5%, Mexico at 7.1%, Chile at 9%, and Argentina at 8.3%.
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Vietnam’s exports to Americas reach 8.21 billion USD in January – Photo for illustration
(Source: VOV)
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Furthermore, thanks to the positive effects of free trade agreements (FTAs), such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Vietnam-Chile Agreement (VCFTA), Vietnamese exports to four countries in the region, Canada, Mexico, Chile, and Peru, last year reached US$13.1 billion, up 8.7%.
Strong export growth was also recorded to the MERCOSUR bloc, including Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay, with the two-way trade last year surging by 9.2% to more than US$12 billion.
Phong Nha-Ke Bang among Asia’s most thrilling zip line experiences
Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park in the central province of Quang Binh has been listed among the top eight most thrilling zip line experiences in Asia, as compiled by Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post newspaper (SCMP).
According to the media outlet, with a combination of being a natural wonder and featuring an epic zip line, Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is renowned for its unique geological formations, diverse array of wildlife, and Son Doong, the largest cave in the world.
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| Phong Nha - Ke Bang (Photo: baotuyenquang.com.vn) |
“But for adrenaline junkies, Hang Toi, aka Dark Cave, is the hole to head for. At 400 metres, Vietnam’s longest zip line transports visitors above the turquoise Chay River to the entrance of the cave,” says SCMP.
Most notably, the interior of the cavern is unlit and the rocky walls are dark grey and black, giving the site its name, reported by Radio the Voice of Vietnam.
SCMP also revealed that it is just a short swim to get inside, followed by a guided walk, with a helmet and headlamp provided, a mud bath, and a kayak ride back to the starting point.
Rounding off the list of the top eight locations is ZipCity in Macau, Southern Cardamom National Park of Cambodia, Zip-Flyer of Nepal, Awaji Island of Japan, Chocolate Hills Adventure Park of the Philippines, Gibbon Experience Treetop zip line of Laos, and Mega Adventure theme park of Singapore.
Vietnamese professor honoured with IUPAC award for women
Prof. Nguyen Thi Kim Thanh, a lecturer at University College London (UCL) in the UK, has been honoured with the Distinguished Women in Chemistry/Chemical Engineering Awards of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), together with other 11 woman scientists from various countries, said the Vietnam News Agency.
An awarding ceremony will be held during the IUPAC World Chemistry Congress slated for August this year.
Established in 2011, the awards aim to acknowledge and promote the work of women chemists/chemical engineers worldwide.
Awardees are selected based on excellence in basic or applied research, distinguished accomplishments in teaching or education, or demonstrated leadership or managerial excellence in the chemical sciences. The Awards Committee is particularly interested in nominees with a history of leadership and/or community service during their careers.
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Prof. Nguyen Thi Kim Thanh (Photo: baodantoc.vn)
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Prof. Mary Garson, President of the IUPAC Committee on Ethics, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, said that the 12 awardees are chosen from an impressive list of female chemists and chemical engineers with outstanding achievements and creativity around the world.
In their personal stories, each of the 2023 nominees has demonstrated a willingness to share expertise and experience with other chemists as well as a passion for science. Their outreach work and activities advance chemical science and chemical engineering in a variety of ways, she said, expressing her belief that the awardees will inspire woman scientists in the world.
Speaking to Vietnam News Agency correspondents in the UK, Prof. Thanh said that she hopes the rewards will inspire female scientists and girl children to pursue their dreams of contributing to science development and the community. For Vietnam, she hopes that the award will contribute to improving the prestige of Vietnamese intellectuals and scientists in the world scientific community, encouraging Vietnamese scientists to confidently step out and integrate with the advanced science of the world.
Based in Zurich, the Switzerland, the IUPAC was formed in 1919 by chemists from industry and academia, who recognised the need for international standardisation in chemistry.
Prof. Thanh is one of the world-renowned Vietnamese intellectuals, who is the first Vietnamese professor at UCL since 2013, and an academician of four specialised scientific institutes in the UK. With a long history of prestigious scientific achievements, Prof. Thanh has won many noble awards in the fields of research from prestigious scientific organisations and academies in the world.
Vietnamese fruits promoted at Berlin exhibition
Vietnamese fruits have been introduced at the Fruit Logistica, the world largest fruit and vegetable exhibition in the world that is underway in Berlin from February 8-10, said the Vietnam News Agency.
The Vietnamese booth at the exhibition, jointly organised by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) Trade Promotion Agency, the Vietnam Trade Office in Berlin and the Vietnam Fruit Association (Vinafruit), attracted a large number of visitors right in the first day of the event. This is the third year that Vietnam has joined the exhibition.
On February 8, a trade exchange was held between the Vietnamese enterprises with members of Germany’s Federal Association of Medium-Sized Enterprises (BVMW), German firms and Vietnamese companies in Germany, the Netherlands and Spain.
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Vietnamese Ambassador to Germany Vu Quang Minh (second, left) and Ludwig Graf Westarp (second, right), Director of Skaro Company who represents the BVMW at the exhibition.
(Photo: VNA)
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Highlighting the increasing competitiveness of Vietnamese products’ competitiveness, Vietnamese Ambassador to Germany Vu Quang Minh said he hopes the firms will optimize preferential tax rates from free trade agreements to boost exports of fruits and vegetables in the promising German market.
He pledged that the Vietnamese Embassy and the Vietnam Trade Office will give best support to Vietnamese firms in connecting with their peers in Germany to strengthen exports to Germany and the EU in general, thus optimising the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).
Meanwhile, Vinafruit Chairman Nguyen Thanh Binh said that the exhibition is a great chance for Vietnamese firms to expand their market.
Data from the MoIT showed that after the EVFTA took effect, Vietnam’s exports of fruits to Europe has risen 25-30%.
Tran Van Cong, Vietnamese Trade Councillor in Germany said that the EU has been an important and promising market with annual consumption of over 110 billion USD worth of goods. However, Vietnam’s fruit export revenue from the market is still modest at over 200 million USD, accounting for only 0.02% of the EU’s spending on the product.
Underlining that the EVFTA, which brings import tax of Vietnamese fruits to 0%, is offering great opportunities for Vietnam in the EU, he noted that last year, exports of fruits to the EU rose nearly 14%.
Cong advised domestic firms to focus on developing farming areas as well as preservation stage, ensuring that Vietnamese products are origin traceable, meeting requirements of the EU.
At the event, the Vinafruit and BVMW signed a memorandum of understanding on supporting businesses of both sides to strengthen cooperation in fruit export and distribution in the German market./.