The Vietnamese booth featured famous local food brands such as Ong Cua ST25 rice, Huong Sen food, Seahorse King frozen food, Saigon Lager beer, Golden Roast HaiFong coffee, L’amant coffee, and Hon Me Hau Loc shrimp paste.
Balmoral Show is a 154-year-old traditional trade fair of the UK's Northern Ireland region.
This year's fair displayed different kinds of goods and services, from local agricultural specialties and animal feed to technology, machinery, and agricultural materials.
According to Vietnamese Trade Counselor in the UK Nguyen Canh Cuong, the Balmoral Show 2023 drew more than 100,000 visitors, providing a good chance for Vietnamese firms to introduce their products to local consumers.
It was also an opportunity for Vietnamese agriculture and food businesses to explore the consumption trend of Northern Ireland, and seek potential customers, he said.
Cuong said that earlier, Vietnam also joined the UK Food & Drink Shows, the largest of its kind in the UK in late April, helping popularise Vietnamese agricultural products in Northern Ireland and the UK in general.
Within the framework of the fair, a meeting was held between Vietnam and Northern Ireland representatives to discuss bilateral cooperation potential, especially in agriculture and food trading.
The two sides also discussed a plan to form and send a trade mission of Northern Ireland to Vietnam later this year to put forth bilateral cooperation.
Military Hospital 175 awarded Diamond Status by World Stroke Organisation
The Military Hospital 175 in Ho Chi Minh City has been achieved the level “Diamond Status” at the World Stroke Organisation (WSO) Angels Awards in recognition of improvements in its stroke care quality, according to the Vietnam News Agency.
WSO Angels Awards recognise hospitals that have demonstrated clear commitment to quality stroke care and have established cultures and systems to support continuous improvement.
Awards are calculated quarterly at the levels of "Gold Status", "Platinum Status", and "Diamond Status".
The hospital has received the level Diamond Status, the highest level, for two consecutive quarters, Q4 2022 and Q1 2023, said Dr. Hoang Tien Trong Nghia, head of the hospital’s neurology department.
To achieve Diamond Status, the hospital has fulfilled ten criteria, including 75% of patients treated with door-to-recanalization therapy in less than 60 minutes, a 25% recanalization procedure rate out of total stroke incidence in the hospital, 90% of all suspected stroke patients undergoing CT or MRI imaging procedure, 90% of Ischaemic stroke patients discharged with antiplatelets, and stroke patients treated in a dedicated stroke unit or ICU during their hospital stay.
A “Code stroke” (stroke rapid-response) team that is composed of physicians at the neurology, emergency and diagnostic imaging departments helps optimise inter-hospital collaboration and improve patient outcomes, Nghia said at a scientific conference held by the hospital on May 11 in HCM City.
Nearly 3,800 stroke patients have been treated at the hospital since 2020.
Dr. Nguyen Huy Thang, head of the cerebrovascular disease department at the 115 People’s Hospital and Chairman of the HCM City Stroke Association, said some hospitals have used the automated imaging software RAPID (Rapid Processing of Perfusion and Diffusion) to speed up diagnosis and improve stroke care for patients.
The AI technique helps extend the treatment window for acute stroke patients from six hours after stroke onset to 24 hours, Thang said.
Second batch of VinFast VF 8 vehicles arrive in US
VinFast, a subordinate automaker of private conglomerate Vingroup, announced the arrival of its second shipment of electric vehicles, consisting of 1,879 VF 8 vehicles, at the Port of Benicia in California, the US, the Vietnam News Agency reported.
The VF 8 has a certificated EPA range of 264 miles for the Eco trim and 243 miles for the Plus trim, per full charge. VinFast expects to begin delivering these VF 8 vehicles to US customers in June 2023.
The second batch contains all VF 8 vehicles, which have a longer battery range than the initial batch of 999 VF 8 City Edition vehicles imported to the US last year. The VF 8 has an EPA-rated range of 264 miles for the Eco trim and 243 miles for the Plus trim per full charge.
The VF 8 Eco and Plus model pricing will start at 46,000 USD and 51,800 USD, respectively (battery inclusive), and have both lease and loan options.
Qualified customers can lease the VF 8 with a minimum term of 36 months, and monthly payments start at 479 USD/month for the Eco trim and 614 USD/month for the Plus trim.
With the loan option, qualified customers may choose a minimum term of 60 months with monthly payments. VinFast Pioneer customers may also be eligible for further incentives.
The VF 8 comes with a 10-year warranty/125,000 miles for the vehicle, a 10-year warranty for the battery (unlimited mileage), Mobile Services and 24/7 emergency roadside assistance during the vehicle warranty period.
VinFast will initially deliver 1,098 of the VF 8 vehicles to the US market and then deliver the remaining 781 VF 8 vehicles to Canada, which are expected to arrive by mid-May 2023.
Chinese traders to enter Vietnam for lychee purchase
More than 201 Chinese traders have registered to enter Vietnam to purchase lychee in the northern province of Bac Giang between mid-May and July, Radio the Voice of Vietnam quoted the announcement of the Trade and Industry Promotion Center of the province.
More Chinese businesspeople are scheduled to arrive in Luc Ngan district – which has the largest area under lychee cultivation in Vietnam - on May 20.
Bac Giang boasts 29,700 hectares of lychee farms that are expected to yield more than 180,000 tonnes of the juicy fruit this year.
Instead of launching trade promotion campaigns across the country this year, Bac Giang will help farmers and co-operatives to directly connect with businesses to sign purchasing contracts.
So far, the Trade and Industry Promotion Center has signed 34 documents with agricultural wholesale markets, e-commerce trading floors, supermarket chains, and businesses to consume about 110,000 tonnes of lychee.
Vietnamese lychee products are hugely popular with Chinese consumers. The Luc Ngan lychee in Bac Giang boasts a distinctive flavour that is different from those cultivated in other regions. The juicy fruit has been exported to many countries around the world, such as China, Thailand, the United States, Australia and others./.