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| Fresh longans of Vietnam (Photo: VNA) |
The information was released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).
Following dragon fruit, mangoes, and lychees, fresh longans are the newest fruit to be licensed to enter the fastidious market, paving the way for subsequent shipments with larger volumes being exported to Japan moving forward, reported by Radio the Voice of Vietnam.
Hoang Phat Fruit Company Limited revealed that after the arrival of the one-tonne batch, the firm will supply between 70 tonnes and 100 tonnes of fresh longans by sea and by air to Japan each month.
Fresh longans are required to undergo cold treatment within 13 days before then being shipped to Japan in order to eliminate harmful organisms. After the process, the MARD will issue a phytosanitary certificate to confirm that the shipment is eligible for export.
To export this batch of longans to Japan, Hoang Phat Co., Ltd. had to go through a number of stringent evaluation processes involving the granting of planting area and factory codes.
In addition, the firm is required to ensure no chemical residue is found in any of the fruit products while the cold treatment process must be maintained at 1.3 degrees Celsius within 13 days under the close supervision of Japanese experts.
According to the Plant Protection Department, it took the country six years of conducting negotiations before local longans could enter the Japanese market.
In fact, Japan represent a highly lucrative market, importing vegetables and fruits worth US$20 billion each year, while Vietnamese fruit in the demanding market accounts for less than 3% of the total.
As Japan is a strict, transparent, and high-quality market, approval for Vietnamese longans to enter the Japanese market indicates that these fruits are capable of reaching high-quality standards and are anticipated to enjoy robust growth in the coming years.
The Plant Protection Department and the MARD are now in the process of devising solutions to support the granting of planting and packaging area codes, as well as regulations on food safety so that local firms can continue to increase longan output to the Japanese market in the coming time.
Hanoi offers Thang Long Citadel night tour for foreign visitors
Foreign tourists now can enjoy a 120-minute night tour at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel in Hanoi, which promises enticing cultural, culinary and architectural experiences.
The Thang Long - Hanoi Heritage Conservation Centre freshly launched the new journey around the capital’s renowned royal space on January 4. It begins at 6pm every Tuesday and Thursday or according to the pre-booked tour schedule, said the Vietnam News Agency.
Travellers are set to depart from Doan Mon (Main Gate), the entrance to Cam thanh (Forbidden area) – the King’s residence. Their evening path will include a visit to an archaeological excavation area, an exhibition hall of rare antiquities with some dating back over 1,000 years, the Kinh Thien Palace, and the archaeological site at No. 18 Hoang Dieu Street.
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The citadel at night (Photo: VNA)
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The foreign visitors will also be treated to a puppetry show, a royal meal under the canopy of the Bodhi tree, and souvenir products representing luck and prosperity, among many other features.
Earlier, when Vietnam fully reopened its tourism in April last year, the centre launched a night tour for domestic visitors available every weekend and receiving high evaluation from attendees.
The citadel, a complex of historic imperial buildings located in the centre of Hanoi, was first constructed in 1011 under the reign of King Ly Thai To of the Ly dynasty (1009 – 1225). The site, one of the ten special national heritage sites proclaimed by the Prime Minister in 2009, was inscribed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee in 2010. Its outstanding universal values are reflected in its historical longevity, its continuous role as a seat of power, and its multiple cultural layers.
Vietnam Airlines opens pilot training school in Kien Giang
The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines and Viet Flight Training have inaugurated a flight school at Rach Gia airport, the first civil pilot training facility in Kien Giang province and the southern region.
The two have received a Level-1 Approved Training Organisation (ATO1) certificate from the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) to provide Private Pilot License (PPL) training courses, said the Vietnam News Agency.
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Viet Flight Training has welcomed the first batch of 12 students attending the first PPL course (Photo: Vietnam Airlines)
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On this occasion, Viet Flight Training welcomed the first batch of 12 students attending the first PPL course.
ATO1, which allows the theory and basic flight practice training in Vietnam, will help shorten the training time abroad and reduce cost.
The Viet Flight Training was established by the Vietnam Airlines in 2008, aiming to meet 50-60% demand for pilots meeting international standards for Vietnam Airlines and the whole aviation sector, reducing financial burden to airlines and national budget for civil pilot training activities.
Earlier, the Viet Flight Training received Level-3 ATO and Level-2 ATO certificates. In the 2021-2022 period, the facility coordinated with foreign partners to train more than 1,000 trainees from 10 countries, becoming the largest civil pilot supplier for the domestic aviation sector.
Vietjet named among world’s top 10 safest low-cost airlines
Vietnamese low-cost carrier Vietjet has made it onto a list of the top 20 safest low-cost airlines internationally for 2023, according to a recent announcement by AirlineRatings.com, a global airline safety and product review website.
According to Radio the Voice of Vietnam, AirlineRatings.com carefully compiled the list from a pool of 385 airlines, measuring a range of factors such as incident records over the past two years and crash records over the past five years. This is in addition to the results of audits conducted by the governing body of aviation, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), and the EU.
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A plane of Vietjet (Photo: VNA)
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In alphabetical order, the list includes Air Arabia, AirAsia, Allegiant, Air Baltic, easyjet, FlyDubai, Frontier, Jetstar Group, Jetblue, Indigo, Ryanair, Scoot, Southwest, Spicejet, Spirit, Vueling, Vietjet, Volaris, Westjet, and Wizz.
Furthermore, AirlineRatings.com also announced its list of the world’s 20 safest airlines for 2023, with Air New Zealand topping the annual safety table.
AirlineRatings.com was originally launched back in June, 2013, and rates the safety and in-flight products of 385 airlines by making use of a unique seven-star rating system.
The agency said its website has so far been used by millions of passengers from 195 countries globally.
Chinese expert impressed by Vietnam’s economic growth
Executive Chairman of the China-ASEAN Business Council and Chairman of the RCEP Industry Cooperation Committee Xu Ningning has hailed Vietnam as one of the fastest growing economies in ASEAN in 2022.
In a recent interview granted to China Report ASEAN, Xu, who is also China’s expert on trade with ASEAN, said according to the Vietnamese Government, the Vietnamese economy growth was estimated at over 8% last year and projected at 6.5% in 2023. The Asian Development Bank recently also revised up Vietnam’s economic growth forecast.
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Chinese expert impressed by Vietnam’s economic growth (Photo: VNA)
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In 11 months of last year, Vietnam’s total trade value surpassed US$670 billion, with China and US being Vietnam’s largest import and export markets, according to the Vietnam News Agency.
Commending Vietnam’s macroeconomic stability driven by food and housing prices last year, Xu said the Vietnamese digital economy recorded the fastest growth in ASEAN with a total transaction value growing by 28%.
In his view, Vietnam is one of the countries to join the most free trade agreements in the regional grouping, with 15 already signed deals which have created favourable conditions for Vietnam’s economic recovery.
About trade ties between China and Vietnam as well as between China and ASEAN, Xu said China’s statistics showed that two-way trade between China and Vietnam hit 213.94 billion USD in the first 11 months of last year. Vietnam remained China’s biggest trade partner in ASEAN, contributing to promoting economic cooperation within the framework of China-ASEAN comprehensive strategic partnership.
Xu expressed his hope that with progress in bilateral cooperative ties, China and ASEAN will strive to continue consolidating their comprehensive strategic partnership./.