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| Vietnamese students win five medals at Int’l Math Olympiad 2024 (Photo: VNA) |
Accordingly, the team brought home five medals - two silver, three bronze medals, and one commendation.
Tran Duy from Hanoi and Tran Minh Hoang from Ha Tinh province clinched the silver medals.
Meanwhile, the bronze medals went to Pham Tran Minh Duc from Hai Phong, Nguyen Dang Dung from Hanoi and Nguyen Van Hoang from Bac Ninh province.
Ta Duc Anh from Hanoi earned a commendation.
The 65th IMO, held from July 11 to 22, gathered 609 participants from 109 countries and territories.
Insiders optimistic about durian export to China
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| Fresh durians harvested for export. Vietnam harvests durian all year round, which is a competitive edge for the country’s businesses. (Photo: VNA) |
Insiders believe in a bright prospect for durian export to China though the world’s largest durian consumer is expanding the cultivation of this fruit, reported Vietnam News Agency.
China imports more than 1.4 million tonnes of durian each year. To meet the big demand, the country started piloting durian cultivation since the 1950s, but it was not until 2019 that large-scale farming was implemented in its island province of Hainan, the Thanh nien (Young people) newspaper reported.
Nguyen Van Muoi, a representative of the Vietnam Gardening Association in the southern region, said though the durian farming area and productivity in China are increasing, they are not large enough to substantially affect other countries’ exports, including Vietnam’s.
Even the combined volume from Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia is also not enough to meet China’s annual demand of nearly 1.5 million tonnes, he opined.
The Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association (VINAFRUIT) said Vietnam harvests durian all year round, which is a competitive edge for the country’s businesses. After southeastern provinces, localities in the Central Highlands will enter the main harvest season in August.
This year, durian prices are likely to surge twice or thrice compared to current prices as traders may rush to purchase the fruit for export, the association predicted.
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| Durian is the main export product. (Photo: congthuong.vn) |
Expressing optimism, VINAFRUIT General Secretary Dang Phuc Nguyen said the favourable geographical location enables Vietnam to harvest durian all year round, so China’s development of domestic cultivation hasn’t caused any considerable concerns yet.
Besides, he went on, Thailand, the world’s top durian producer, is also feeling the competition pressure from Vietnam in the Chinese market, so it is moving to explore new markets.
VINAFRUIT said a protocol on the official export of frozen durian to China is being promoted and likely to be announced soon.
China spends about 1 billion USD on importing frozen durian every year. If Vietnam can export this type of product via the official channel to the neighbouring market and hold a 30% market share, it can earn some 300 - 500 million USD in revenue, equivalent to about 10% of this year’s estimated durian export turnover, according to the association.
Agricultural experts perceived that quality is the first issue needing attention to sustain markets and enhance competitiveness while there haven’t been any worrying sale problems.
The emergence of durian has also led to rising prices of other farm produce like coffee and peppercorn.
The Department of Crop Production under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development explained that profit from durian is still highest among all crops at present. Therefore, when farmers switch to cultivating durian, coffee and peppercorn output will decrease, thus fueling prices and further benefiting farmers.
Vietnam, Brazil promote cooperation in potential fields
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| Vietnam, Brazil promote cooperation in potential fields (Photo: VNA) |
Vietnam has always considered Brazil as a major and important partner in South America, with bilateral trade reaching 7.11 billion USD in 2023, Vietnamese Ambassador to Brazil Bui Van Nghi affirmed, reported Vietnam News Agency.
During a meeting with Wilson Miranda Lima, Governor of the northern state of Amazonas, Ambassador Nghi emphasised that Vietnam is one of Brazil's significant trade partners and the two countries have ample room to enhance exchanges in various fields, including politics, diplomacy, trade and investment, science and technology, innovation, agriculture and agricultural processing, climate change mitigation, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.
The Vietnamese ambassador expressed his hope that the two countries will continue to support each other's socio-economic development and closely coordinate at international organisations and multilateral forums.
For his part, Governor Lima highlighted that the state of Amazonas and the countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) share many climatic similarities, and he affirmed that Amazonas will facilitate businesses interested in cooperation in this region.
In a working session with the Vietnamese ambassador, General Director of the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) Everton Rabelo Cordeiro praised the high quality of rubber trees grown in Vietnam and suggested that Vietnam needs to preserve this valuable genetic resource. He also introduced the economic value of the Amazonian peach palm, which has high productivity and can thrive in barren lands.
Ambassador Nghi agreed that this plant is well suited to the climate, soil, and needs of Vietnam, and he looked forward to cooperating with Brazil in cultivating this crop.
During discussions with the Fiocruz Research Agency, a prominent centre for biological science research and development in Brazil, Ambassador Nghị proposed exchanges between Fiocruz and the National Institute of Malariology, Parasitology, and Entomology, the Vietnam-Russia Tropical Center, and the Institute of Tropical Biology in the research of vaccines for malaria, dengue fever, and other tropical diseases.
The ambassador’s visit to Amazonas was part of the diplomatic activities of the ASEAN Committee in Brazil. Amazonas is Brazil's largest state, located in the north of the country and covered by the Amazon rainforest, with an extremely diverse ecosystem.
Import and export through Lang Son reach over 32 billion USD
As of mid-July, total export turnover of all types of goods through the northern border province of Lang Son reached over 32 billion USD, according to Vietnam News Agency.
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| Total import-export turnover across Lang Son reached more than 32 billion USD. (Photo: VNA) |
Accordingly, customs clearance activities for import and export of goods through border gates of Lang Son continue to maintain growth momentum. Among the currently active border gates, Huu Nghi international border gate is still the most vibrant trade border gate.
Statistics show that on average, the Huu Nghi international border gate clears more than 800 vehicles per day, including 200 vehicles for exports and about 600 vehicles for imports, with the main items being fresh fruits, industrial machinery, consumer appliances, and electronic components.
According to Mr. Phung Van Ba, Deputy Head of the Huu Nghi Border Gate’s Customs Branch, since the beginning of the year, the amount of goods passing through the border gate has increased steadily and border trade activities have been busy, especially in April and May when some provinces and cites harvested agricultural products.
Aiming to meet trade needs, customs authorities have carried out many solutions such as coordinating with border gate functional forces such as border guards, quarantine and border management centers for zoning prioritized goods.
At the specialized road for import and export at Tan Thanh (Vietnam) – Po Chai (China), the average number of vehicles transporting goods through customs clearance is about 400 vehicles. According to the Tan Thanh Customs Branch, in the first half of the year, more than 1,150 businesses registered to carry out import and export procedures with revenue reaching more than 205 billion VND, exceeding 145 billion VND compared to the target.
Lang Son sets a goal of earning more than 50 billion USD in total import-export turnover of all types of goods through the locality. To accomplish the goal, the Management Board of Dong Dang - Lang Son border gate economic zone will implement many activities to promote border trade economic activities./.