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| Farmers in Long Phu district, Soc Trang province, are harvesting the main winter-spring rice crop. (Photo: VNA) |
Specifically, the country’s 5% broken rice is currently being traded at 575 USD per tonne, which is 14 USD and 34 USD higher per tonne than Thailand's and Pakistan’s, respectively. Additionally, the price of Vietnam's 25% broken rice has increased to 539 USD per tonne, exceeding those of similar products from the two countries by 27 USD and 22 USD per tonne, respectively.
Compared to other leading rice-exporting nations, Vietnam's rice now commands the highest prices. This marks a significant recovery and favourable conditions for the country’s related exports, especially against the background that in July, its export prices were lower than those of Thailand, Pakistan, and Myanmar.
According to the VFA, the primary reason behind such an increase is a supply - demand imbalance, with supply failing to meet market demand. Currently, the global demand for rice is surging, while most rice-producing countries have passed their main harvest seasons.
Moreover, the Philippines, a major import market, has reduced its rice import tax from 35% to 15%, encouraging Filipino businesses to boost rice imports.
Vietnam's rice export prices have also risen in markets other than traditional ones. For instance, in Brunei and the US, they have reached 959 USD and 868 USD per tonne.
The VFA statistics show that Vietnam shipped nearly 5.3 million tonnes of rice overseas for some 3.34 billion USD in the first seven months. While the export volume only increased by 8.3%, the value saw a significant surge of 27.7% compared to the same period last year.
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| Vietnam's rice export prices have reached the highest levels globally, surpassing those of Thailand, Pakistan, and other major exporters. (Photo: VNA) |
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) forecasts that in the coming months, the demand for rice will rise across most countries, leading to a vibrant export market towards the end of the year. Indonesia recently announced it might import 4.5 million tonnes of the grain, up from the 3.6 million tonnes initially projected for 2024.
In addition to Indonesia, the world’s largest rice import market, the Philippines – a traditional customer for Vietnamese, has also forecast an increase in imports from 4.2 million tonnes to between 4.5 and 4.7 million tonnes in this year.
MARD projected that Vietnam would export around 7.4 to 8 million tonnes of rice in 2024, with export revenues expected to exceed 5 billion USD.
Hanoi hosts world’s leading three-cushion billiards tournament for first time
The PBA-LPBA SY Bazaar Hanoi Open 2024 is being held at Grand Plaza Ha Noi Hotel from August 19-25, marking the first time the PBA tour, the world’s leading three-cushion billiards tournament, has been taking place in Vietnam, reported Vietnam News Agency.
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| The prestigious PBA Tour is making its debut in Vietnam, the organising committee officially announced during a press briefing on August 22 (photo: VNA) |
The competition features 192 cueists, including 27 from Vietnam.
According to the event’s organising committee, a prize pool of 250 million KRW (187,000 USD) will be awarded to the top male athletes, with the champion receiving 100 million KRW. On the women's side, the total purse is 100 million KRW, with the winner taking home 40 million KRW.
Speaking at a press briefing on August 22 in Hanoi, Lee Hee Jin, vice president of Professional Billiards Association (PBA) said that Vietnam is also known as an emerging powerhouse in three-cushion billiards, with world-class players.
He held that the three-cushion movement in Vietnam ranks second globally after the RoK and is continually growing, thus, PBA has chosen the Southeast Asian nation as the starting point of its global tour.
The PBA plans to host three tours in Vietnam, with events scheduled in the major cities of Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang in the coming time, he continued.
The PBA, a commercial billiards organisation of the Republic of Korea (RoK), initially operated on a national level but has seen significant international growth since its inaugural season in 2019.
Now in its sixth season, the organisers have chosen to move the tournament beyond the RoK border to Vietnam which is recognised as a 'rising star in the billiards world.'
Up to 60% of the foreign viewership on the PBA TV YouTube channel comes from Vietnam, statistics showed.
Foreign filmmakers to attend tourism promotion programme in Binh Dinh
About 40 foreign experts, including film directors and producers and tourism operators, have been invited to participate in a tourism-cinema-sport promotion programme in Vietnam’s central coastal province of Binh Dinh to seek cooperation opportunities, reported the Voice of Vietnam.
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| Eo Gio Strait is one of famous tourist attractions in Binh Dinh. (Photo: VOV) |
The programme themed 'Tourism - Cinema and Sports - Proud of Vietnamese Identity' is scheduled to take place in Quy Nhon City from September 2 to 4 to introduce Binh Dinh’s potential for film-making and tourism development, said the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on August 22.
The event will attract the participation of local and foreign experts, directors, producers, and tourism operators, as well as film stars, martial artists, and music composers.
Among the delegates are those from the United States, France, India, the Republic of Korea, Laos and Cambodia, said the ministry.
According to the schedule, on September 2 a field trip will take delegates, guests, filmmakers, and sports figures to local iconic sites such as Lang Song Church, Quang Trung Museum, and the Ky Co and Eo Gio scenic spots.
The programme aims to highlight potential filming locations which could spotlight these destinations to domestic and global audiences. It will also highlight Binh Dinh's renowned martial arts heritage, featuring demonstrations and the Wonderful Wings music festival, which is scheduled to draw about 10,000 spectators.
According to Ta Xuan Chanh, director of the Binh Dinh Department of Culture and Sports, the initiative aims to harness the provincial cultural heritage for tourism growth. It also helps to foster partnerships between Binh Dinh and other countries in sports, tourism, and cinema.
Vietnam launches measles vaccination drive as infections skyrocket
The Vietnamese Ministry of Health (MoH) has decided to urgently launch a national measles vaccination drive as the number of infections is increasing sharply in many localities throughout the country, reported the Voice of Vietnam.
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| Mobile vaccination against measles deployed nationally (Photo: thanhnien.vn) |
The MoH reported that since the beginning of the year, Vietnam has recorded a total of 1,695 cases of rashes suspected of measles, nearly seven times higher than the same period last year. In addition, 676 cases tested positive for the measles virus, marking an increase of 22.5 times compared to last year.
The disease is showing signs of spreading on a large scale in 18 localities such as Ho Chi Minh City, Ha Tinh, Dong Nai, Long An, Soc Trang, Binh Phuoc, Kien Giang, Quang Nam, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, and Tay Ninh. Ho Chi Minh City alone has logged more than 500 cases so far this year, including three fatalities.
Ho Chi Minh City has now met the conditions to declare a measles epidemic as cases there have already exceeded the average number recorded in the previous three years in the same period, said Hoang Minh Duc, director of the General Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health.
The health professional warned that the number of infections may continue to rise as millions of schoolchildren will begin a new school year over the next couple of days.
Meanwhile, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan requested at a conference on August 22 that localities work out an additional measles and rubella vaccination plan, along with arranging funding, human resources, and equipment for vaccination.
“The goal of this drive is to increase the immunization rate in the community to proactively prevent epidemics and reduce morbidity and mortality from measles,” said the Minister.
World Health Organisation (WHO) Vietnam Representative Angela Pratt noted that hundreds of thousands of children in Vietnam have missed out on vaccinations since 2021 due to pandemic-related disruptions and the recent lack of vaccine stock, thereby leading to the largest sustained decline in rates of childhood immunisation in Vietnam in over 20 years.
According to the WHO Vietnam chief representative, the WHO has finalised the procurement of an emergency supply of more than one million doses of measles-rubella vaccines which will be used for outbreak response and supplementary immunisation activities in the highest-risk areas.
For provinces and cities which have seen rapidly increasing clusters of cases, the WHO recommends declaring an epidemic to allow anti-epidemic plans to be activated promptly. Experts also recommend that all provinces consider this vaccination campaign to be a top priority.
The WHO earlier this year warned that after the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of measles cases would increase in many countries, including Vietnam. Therefore, the MoH plans to vaccinate all 10 infectious diseases as part of the Expanded Program on Immunization, not just measles and whooping cough./.