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| Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) |
The US remains the largest importer of the Vietnamese spice with 37,435 tonnes, surging by 44.6% year-on-year, accounting for 26.3% of the market share.
Exports also skyrocketed to some markets such as Germany, the Netherlands, India, and the UAE, rising by 106.7%, 52.1%, 45.7%, and 15.2%, respectively.
Businesses attributed the situation to the continuous increase in pepper prices in the last six months. Currently, the average export price rose by 1,000 USD per tonne compared to the same period last year. The average export price of black and white pepper was over 4,300 USD and 6,000 USD per tonne, respectively.
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| Illustrative image (Photo: VOV) |
On the other hand, Vietnam imported over 18,000 tonnes of pepper worth 69.6 million USD in the January – June period, up 18.9% in value compared to the same period last year. Brazil, Cambodia, and Indonesia are the biggest suppliers of pepper for Vietnam.
Tua Chua night market in Dien Bien lures visitors
The hustle and bustle of the market forms a unique scene in Tua Chua, a highland district in the northeast of Dien Bien, reported Vietnam News Agency.
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| Tua Chua nigh market, which is open every Saturday, is not only a venue to showcase agricultural products and local culture, but also a destination for tourists. (Photo: VNA) |
Every Saturday, as darkness falls, people from highland villages of Tua Chua district, the northwestern province of Dien Bien, flock to the night market.
The hustle and bustle of the market forms a unique scene in Tua Chua, a highland district in the northeast of Dien Bien. The district is home to seven ethnic groups, of which the Mong people make up the majority.
The market, which is open through the night from 8pm on Saturday to 6am the following day, is not only a venue to showcase agricultural products and local culture, but also a destination for tourists.
A special thing, local businesses here only sell their goods online by live streaming. Items for sale are mainly local agricultural products, wild orchids and herbs. Each seller uses four to eight smart phones. All phones are connected to the internet and hundreds of items being sold every night.
Dang Thanh Huyen, a live streamer at the market, said that she has started selling online since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic in 2019.
Selling goods through live streaming help her reach customers nationwide, she noted.
Visitors to the market also immerse themselves in the unique cultural space of local ethnic groups.
In addition to enjoying art performance staged by local residents and students, they can taste local dishes such as thang co (horse meat and offal) and drink Mong Pe, an aromatic wine distilled from maize fermented with special forest leaves.
Pham Hong Long, a tourist from Hanoi, said that he has traveled to many night markets in the northern provinces. However, he was still very excited when visiting the Tua Chua night market for the first time.
Utilising live streaming to sell products not only helps boost sales for local residents but also offers an opportunity to popularise the image of Tua Chua to domestic and foreign tourists, he added.
Nguyen Minh Tuan, Vice Chairman of the district People's Committee, said that despite being put into operation for just one year and a half, the Tua Chua night market has become an attractive destination and a unique tourism product of the locality.
He went on to say that the number of visitors to the market increases every week, demonstrating its growing allure to tourists.
Tua Chua aims to become a national tourism site under the province’s tourism development plan until 2025, with a vision towards 2030. It expects to host over 40,000 visitors, with about 10% being foreigners, by 2030.
Along with natural landscapes such as rocky plateaus, caves and ethnic cultures, local authorities have paid attention to turning the Tua Chua night market into a special tourism product, contributing to making tourism a key economic sector for socio-economic development of Tua Chua district in particular and Dien Bien in general.
More efforts required to make night flights more attractive to passengers
Airlines have been increasing the number of night flights to meet demand amid an aircraft shortage, but the inconvenience and fear of fatigue mean passengers shun them, reported Vietnam News Agency.
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| Passengers at Noi Bai International Airport (Photo: hanoimoi.vn) |
In the last two months carriers have increased their flying hours to cope with the rising summer demand, according to data from the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam. Vietnam Airlines’ planes are now flying for 11 hours a day, up from the earlier 10. They can fly for 12 hours if needed.
Vietjet’s aircraft are operating for 13 hours, and Vietravel Airlines and Bamboo Airways’ for 12.5 hours.
Vietnam Airlines plans to operate an additional 2,000 flights after 9 p.m. on routes from and to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Nha Trang, and Quy Nhon.
Vietjet will add 3,100 night flights to its domestic routes in the summer, equivalent to 1.4 million seats. Bamboo Airways and Vietravel Airlines have also announced night flight increases to meet the travel needs of passengers.
A night flight can be 20-40% cheaper than a day flight. For example, one-way ticket for Hanoi - Nha Trang flights on June 27 of Vietnam Airlines were priced from 3.4-4.3 million VND (134-170 USD) for normal flying time, however, passengers only paid 2.1-2.6 million VND for flights departing at 9pm or 6am. Meanwhile, on Hanoi – Ho Chi Minh City route offered by Vietjet on July 5, passengers paid only 1.55-1.6 million VND for one-way ticket, including taxes and fees, on night or early morning flights.
However, airlines are not too optimistic about demand for such flights. Vietnam Airlines CEO Le Hong Ha said his carrier had to cancel 10% of night flights in May due to lack of passengers.
According to Ha, passengers are concerned that they may take an extra night of stay when the check-in/check-out policies of hotels are not flexible. At the same time, public means of transport to serve the needs of night travel are not available, he added.
In order to increase economic efficiency and help passengers to take advantage of cheap ticket price policy of the aviation industry, the Vietnam Airlines leader said that the aviation and tourism industries need to join hands to have night flight programmes and policies.
Nguyen Quoc Ky, chairman of Vietravel Airlines and tourism firm Vietravel, said people who travel for leisure rarely prefer late flights and only do so when they have to, such as before a long vacation or for a long-distance trip.
Currently, the national flag carrier is working with large enterprises such as Vingroup, and Sungroup... The design of the night flight combined tour, taking into account a 50% discount or free hotel fee for the first night for visitors.
Hotel and accommodation businesses are suggested to develop a variety of check-in/check-out time slots to encourage tourists to fly out and return during off-peak hours. Localities themselves also need to join hands and design appropriate tours and tourism products to encourage passengers to choose night flights on domestic routes.
The Vietnam Tourism Advisory Board has called on hotels to offer multiple check-in and check-out options for the convenience of people arriving by night flights.
Vietnamese agricultural products, food expected for deeper engagement in global supply chain
Vietnam boasts advantages and potential in agricultural production and export, yet domestic firms need to do more to join the global food supply chain more intensively, reported Vietnam News Agency from insiders’ information.
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| Cashew nut processing for export. (Photo: VNA) |
Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Phan Thi Thang said Vietnam earned over 53 billion USD from agro-forestry-aquatic product exports last year, with many agricultural items like rice, vegetables and fruit, coffee and cashew nuts enjoying increases in both volume and value.
However, she pointed out that Vietnamese exports, mainly raw, have low competitiveness, and have to face a host of challenges regarding quality and traceability requirements set by importers. Besides, the rising protectionism and the trend of sustainable development in Vietnam’s key export markets have also forced businesses to quickly adapt to and observe them.
Le Thanh Hoa, deputy head of the Department of Quality, Processing and Market Development under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said free trade agreements (FTAs) have contributed to raising competiveness for Vietnamese agro-forestry-aquatic products thanks to tax commitments.
Vietnam is now the world’s biggest exporter of cashew nuts and pepper, second in coffee and third in rice, the official said, adding Vietnamese aquatic products have also satisfied quality requirements imposed by demanding markets such as the US, the EU, Japan, and the Republic of Korea (RoK) to play a part in their supply chains.
Tran Ngoc Quan, Vietnamese Trade Counsellor in Belgium and the European Union (EU), noted that Vietnam makes up only 4% of the over 160 billion USD worth of agricultural products imported by the EU.
He suggested domestic firms stay updated on market information to better meet requirements in production, transportation as well as sustainable consumption, thus boosting agricultural product and food exports to the bloc.
Vo Trung Hieu, International Business Director of dairy firm Vinamilk, said Vinamilk products have been exported to more than 60 countries worldwide, stressing the company has pursued a sustainable development strategy and sought suitable partners.
He suggested businesses learn about consumption habits and set up a network of partners to expand their markets./.