Photo for illustration (Source: VOV)
Under the draft, which is being circulated among ministries, sectors and localities for feedback, the five ports will be built in Hai Phong in the north, Da Nang and Khanh Hoa in the centre, and Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Kien Giang in the south, according to the Vietnam News Agency.
Priority will be given to developing infrastructure and logistics services at fishing ports and storm shelters.
By 2030, there will also be 160 storm shelters, comprising 30 regional and 130 provincial ones, capable of accommodating some 90,600 fishing vessels.
By 2030 Vietnam will have 176 fishing ports, capable of handling 2.96 million tonnes of fish annually, and 160 typhoon shelters for boats, which can accommodate 90,600 boats in total.
These ports and shelters will cover about 1,038ha of land area and 5,079ha of water surface in total.
Some VND60.37 trillion (US$2.6 billion) will be needed for infrastructure development at the fishing ports and storm shelters, most of which will be financed by the State budget.
Out of the 125 fishing ports across Vietnam, 68 are currently operational, including three first-class, 54 second-class and 11 third-class ones. The remainders are under construction or not eligible to open. There are also 74 active typhoon shelters, with a total capacity of 50,885 vessels, approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The development of fishing ports and storm shelters is considered a breakthrough task towards turning fisheries into an important sector of the national economy.
Vietnamese fruits attract attention at festival in Tokyo
Activities introducing and promoting litchi and other Vietnamese fruits at the ongoing Vietnam Festival in Japan have attracted attention of a large number of Japanese people.
Vietnamese litchi displayed for sale in a Japanese market (Photo: qltt.vn)
According to the Vietnam News Agency, Vietnam Trade Counselor in Japan Ta Duc Minh said that the trade office has used the occasion of the Vietnam Festival and coordinated with Bac Giang, a major litchi growing province in northern Vietnam, and export companies to introduce Vietnamese agricultural products, including fresh litchi, to Japanese consumers and overseas Vietnamese in Japan.
Japan has allowed the import of a number of fresh Vietnamese fruits such as banana, mango, dragon fruit, litchi and coconut, Minh said.
He added that litchi started entering the Japanese market in June 2020 and immediately became popular with Japanese and OVs living here, and more than 400 tonnes of Vietnamese litchi were consumed in this market last year.
Minh said that as the Japanese government is expected to continue to grant import permits for Vietnamese longan this year, the trade office will organise programmes to introduce fresh longans to Japanese consumers.
First held in 2008 on the occasion of the 35th founding anniversary of the Vietnam - Japan diplomatic ties, the Vietnam Festival in Japan is one of the biggest annual festivals in Tokyo. It not only helps to promote Vietnamese culture and cuisine to Japanese people, but also contributes to strengthening mutual understanding between the people of the two countries.
Leaders of over 80 Asian leading airlines to gather in Da Nang
Policymakers from many airlines, airports, destinations and suppliers of the aviation industry in Asia are set to gather in Da Nang to outline action plans on rebuilding air connectivity in the region after the COVID-19 pandemic, said the Nhan Dan newspaper.
Leaders of the central city of Da Nang on June 4 announced information regarding the 18th Asian route development forum 2020 (Routes Asia 2022), which is taking place from June 4-8.
Dragon Bridge in Da Nang city (Photo: baodanang.vn)
Notably, Routes Asia 2022 will welcome high-level leaders and route network planners from more than 80 leading airlines in the region.
Within the event, over 1,500 meetings will be held between stakeholders, including airlines, airports and destinations. The discussions will focus on the methods for their coordination to restore the route network, creating long-term economic benefits for the Asia-Pacific region.
The main topics of discussion during the meetings include the impact of COIVD-19 on consumer behaviour and travel trends, and the most effective strategies to restore market demand.
Despite travel restrictions due to the pandemic, the aviation industry's traffic outlook in the region remains strong.
Therefore, Da Nang has confidently promoted investment in airport infrastructure to increase capacity to 28 million passengers by 2030 and 200,000 tonnes of cargo per year.
Da Nang is the first city of Vietnam to host Routes Asia (2022), marking an important milestone for the recovery of the aviation and tourism industries.
The city expects that the forum will open opportunities for cooperation with aviation businesses to boost connection and the exchange of tourists and tourism products towards the recovery and expansion of the network of international routes to Da Nang.
More than 550 delegates, including 450 internationals from 194 organisations, have registered for the event. The delegates began to participate in a series of events on the sidelines of Routes Asia 2022, such as destination surveys and connections with international airlines. The event will feature 43 pavilions.
Two more African swine fever vaccines to be licensed in Vietnam by year-end
Two more vaccines against African swine fever (ASF), developed by AVAC Vietnam Co., Ltd. and Dabaco Group JSC, are expected to be licensed in Vietnam by the end of this year, according to the Vietnam News Agency.
NAVET-ASFVAC vaccine (Photo: VTV)
Testing of AVAC ASF LIVE vaccine started in pig farms in March 2022, with the efficacy rate reaching 95 percent. AVAC is finalising legal steps to register for the circulation of the vaccine.
Meanwhile, Dabaco’s DACOVAC-ASF2 vaccine has been tested and evaluated since March 2022.
An African swine fever outbreak was first detected in Vietnam in February 2019, and then spread to all 63 provinces and cities nationwide, causing more than 6 million pigs to be culled.
The disease cost Vietnam over 30 trillion VND (1.29 billion USD) in losses, and affected the national consumer price index (CPI) in 2020. Currently, it is still reported in many localities nationwide.
Vietnam has recently authorised the commercial circulation of NAVET-ASFVAC vaccine produced by Navetco National Veterinary JSC (Navetco), helping the country to become the first in the world to successfully research and produce a vaccine against African swine fever, and licence its commercial circulation.
The company began developing the vaccine in February 2020 with the help of US experts. Following lab trials, the vaccine has proved to be able to protect at least 80 percent of immunised pigs, which retain immunity for six months.
International search volume for Vietnam sharply increases
The volume of international searches for Vietnam’s tourism has surged by 50-70 percent, the fourth highest increase in the world, the Vienam News Agency qouted Google’s market trend tracker tool.
The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) on May 5 reported that after Vietnam fully reopened for tourists from March 15, 2022, this index of Vietnam has maintained a high growth, showing the strong recovery of the country's tourism industry.
Photo for illustration (Source: VGP)
Large volumes of search for Vietnam tourism information are seen in the US, Singapore, Japan, India, France, Germany, Thailand, Canada and the UK.
Vietnam's most searched destinations were Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Phu Quoc, Da Nang, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Da Lat, Phan Thiet, Hue and Quy Nhon.
Data from Google shows that by the end of April 2022, the international search volume for flights related to Vietnam increased by 1,114 percent, and continued to climb by 2,000 percent in May compared to the same period in 2021.
Meanwhile, the search volume for accommodation in Vietnam increased more than 4 times from the beginning of April 2022 to mid-May 2022.
The VNAT attributed the results to the removal of requirements for medical declaration since April 27 and COVID-19 test since May 15 for arrivals; as well as the strengthened promotion of Vietnam's tourism, especially on digital platforms.
Statistics show that international visitors to Vietnam increased sharply in May. The number of international visitors to Vietnam in the first five months of 2022 was 4.5 times higher than that of the same period last year.
The volume of domestic travellers reached 48.6 million in the five month period from January to May.
The tourism sector's revenue hit 211 trillion VND (9 billion USD) in the last five months./.