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| Philippe Juglar, President of AVPA, tastes Vietnamese tea. (Photo: VNA) |
The gold prize came to Sense Memory spiced citrus tea, while the silver was given to Be Better floral and honey tea. Flying Red Dragon yellow tea and Hoang Lien Son Memory fermented tea received the bronze prize. Nine of the award-winning tea products are produced by Sobica Sodeli, which has so far earned 45 prizes at international competitions, including six made through the company's collaboration with tea artisan Nguyen Cao Son in an effort to promote Sa Pa ancient Shan tea from Lao Cai province and Moc Chau Oolong tea from Son La province.
Vu Thi Hang, Chairwoman of Sobica Sodeli, said that for Vietnamese tea to become a distinctive and renowned product on the global stage, it is necessary to change the mindset of production, with a focus on highlighting the unique flavours of the tea and combining natural ingredients to create products that are beneficial to health while meeting tastes of consumers.
Sharing her impression of the richness and diversity of Vietnamese tea, Carine Baudry, Chair of the 2024 AVPA Tea World International Contest’s jury commented that the fertility of Vietnam's land creates the diversity of tea-growing regions, from the mountains to the plains, offering a wealth of varieties from colour to flavour. Europeans highly value both the quality and the rich flavours of Vietnamese tea, she said.
For his part, Philippe Juglar, President of AVPA, stated that Vietnam had provided him with wonderful experiences with Vietnamese tea and coffee. He said he hopes to see more Vietnamese products participating in the annual AVPA contest."
Meanwhile, Anton Tourtier, a visitor to the event, said that the richness of Vietnamese tea has not yet been widely known globally. Bringing Vietnamese products to international competitions like those of AVPA is a great idea, helping introduce the product to a broader consumer community, as the award is like a guarantee of the product’s value.
First held in 2018, the contest aims to recognise teas and herbal teas that offer true culinary value far surpassing the standard consumption of packaged products.
According to Research and Markets, the growth of the tea industry is steadily increasing due to changing lifestyles and growing consumer awareness of the health benefits of drinking tea. The global tea market is expected to reach 37.5 billion USD by 2025, much higher than the 24.3 billion USD recorded in 2016.
Currently, Vietnam ranks fifth in the world for tea exports and seventh for global tea production. In 2023, Vietnam's tea exports reached 121,000 tonnes worth 211 million USD. Vietnamese tea products are now available in 74 countries and territories. Statistics from the Vietnam Tea Association indicated that 34 provinces and cities across the country are cultivating tea with a total area of 123,000 hectares, with an average output of nearly 0.95 tonne per hectare, equivalent to 1.02 million tonnes of fresh tea buds.
Vegetable, fruit exports likely to make record high of 7.5 billion USD
Vietnam can earn 7.5 billion USD from vegetable and fruit exports this year – the highest-ever figure recorded, the Vietnam News Agency quoted the figures of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association (Vinafruit).
Statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development show that the export revenue of these products hit 6.34 billion USD in the first ten months of this year, up 31.5% year on year and exceeding the 5.7 billion USD recorded for the entire 2023.
Durian continues to be the largest contributor, bringing in over 3 billion USD in the reviewed period, accounting for nearly 50% of the total export turnover from vegetables and fruits. Other products such as banana, mango, dragon fruit, and processed products also play an important role.
China remains the largest buyer of Vietnamese vegetables and fruits, with imports reaching 3.8 billion USD in the first 9 months of this year, up 38% year-on-year. Markets such as Thailand, the US, the Republic of Korea, and Japan have also seen strong growth, with double-digit increases.
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| Durian continues to be the largest contributor, bringing in over 3 billion USD in January-October (Photo: VNA) |
Vinafruit General Secretary Dang Phuc Nguyen said that durian has made surprising success in terms of export results. Although the main season in the Central Highlands region ended in October, Vietnam still has off-season fruits thanks to the effective cultivation techniques of farmers.
Durian export turnover is likely to hit 3.5 billion USD this year - a milestone that is rare for any fruit to achieve.
While the export value of fresh coconut is not as high as that of durian, the recent approval for coconut exports to China has led to positive signs, with businesses signing cooperation agreements to boost exports of this product.
General Secretary of the Vietnam Coconut Association Cao Ba Dang Khoa stated that the demand for fresh coconut in the Chinese market can be divided into five segments, which means that small- and medium-sized enterprises can also access this market, unlike those such as the US and the EU, where businesses are required to be strong in terms of resources, market access capacity, and logistics to ensure product quality.
As Thailand currently holds 60% of the coconut market share in China, he expressed his hope that with the cooperation agreements reached by enterprises, along with efforts to improve domestic production orchards, this fruit will soon secure a significant share of this market.
Many cultural artistic events planned for Da Lat Flower Festival 2024
Many cultural and artistic events have been planned for the 10th Da Lat Flower Festival which will take place in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong from December 5-31, the Vietnam News Agency quoted the sayings of Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Pham S.
Speaking at a press conference to announce the festival in Hanoi on November 5, the provincial leader said that unlike previous editions, this year’s festival is held throughout the year with numerous key events being organised in December.
The festival is organized with the involvement of society, he said, adding apart from main events, there will be 12 response activities that are held by companies and individuals.
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| A floral work at the Da Lat Flower Festival in 2022 (Photo: VNA) |
Flowers will be placed in parks, along streets, in residential areas, and tourist attractions in Da Lat city and surrounding areas thanks to the participation of businesses, organisations and households.
Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Trung Kien said that under the theme “Da Lat Flowers – Symphony of Colours”, the festival continues to affirm Da Lat as a city of flower festivals, a UNESCO Creative City in music, and one of top five most impressive festival city in Asia.
It will include ten main events such as a New Year’s music show, an international seminar on green tourism and cultural industries, a “wine - tea - coffee street,” and a flower parade with floats and fashion.
The opening ceremony will be televised live on December 5, and the closing show on December 31.
Lam Dong aims to draw 2 million visitors during the festival.
Hai Phong: Ten-month budget revenue nears 3.8 billion USD
The budget revenue of the northern port city of Hai Phong totaled nearly 96.2 trillion VND (3.8 billion USD) in the first 10 months of 2024, up over 29% year-on-year, equivalent to more than 90% of the target set by the municipal People's Council, said the Vietnam News Agency.
According to the office of the municipal People’s Committee, the locality recorded stable economic growth in October and the last 10 months. Several economic indicators continued to show substantial growth compared to the same period last year.
Of the figure, domestic revenue accounted for nearly 41.5 trillion VND, up 59% compared to the same period last year; and the earnings from import-export activities reached nearly 53.6 trillion VND, representing a year-on-year increase of 14%.
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| Assembling electronic components for the printing industry at Chee Yuen Vietnam Electronic Technology Co., Ltd., invested by Taiwan (China), in Hai Phong city. (Photo: VNA) |
Seaport cargo throughput exceeded 145 million tonnes, up more than 10% from the same period in 2023 and equal to 76% of the plan set for the year.
In the last 10 months, Hai Phong attracted 1.8 billion USD in foreign investment, down 41% year-on-year, equivalent to 94% of the annual target. Its index of industrial production (IIP) increased by over 14% compared to the same period in 2023.
Regarding public investment disbursement, as of October 20, 2024, nearly 9.45 trillion VND had been disbursed, accounting for 56% of the plan assigned by the Prime Minister, and 47.3% of the plan assigned by the city.
According to the municipal Department of Tourism, Hai Phong welcomed over 7.8 million visitors in the reviewed period, up 14.1% year-on-year, including 832,000 foreign arrivals. The city’s tourism revenue is expected to reach 9.4 trillion VND in 2024.
The municipal Department of Industry and Trade reported that the goods market in the city remained stable during the first nine months of 2024, with a plentiful supply of commodities meeting the consumption and production demand.
The total retail sales of goods and services in the last 10 months increased by 13.45% year-on-year to nearly 185.56 trillion VND, achieving 83.4% of the annual plan
The retail sales of goods totaled an estimated 154.28 trillion VND, up 14.05% against the same period last year. Meanwhile, revenue from accommodation rose by 13.14% to 21.87 trillion VND, and tourism service hit 254 trillion VND, up 10.43%, in the period.
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At Chee Yuen Electronic Technology Vietnam Co., Ltd. in An Duong industrial park in Hai Phong city. (Photo: VNA)
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It is expected that the total retail sales of goods and consumer services revenue for 2024 will exceed the plan.
According to Le Minh Son, Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Industry and Trade, the agency has closely coordinated with the Domestic Market Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, as well as other departments, sectors, and localities to proactively monitor the production and business activities of enterprises in the city.
Attention has been paid to regularly tracking and evaluating the supply and demand of goods to take suitable plans and measures to ensure a balance between supply and demand and stabilise the market, he noted.
In its efforts to fight smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods, the municipal department has coordinated with Coast Guard Region 1 to inspect and detect four cases of illegal transportation of 3,280 cubic metres of sand, and two others of over 30,000 litres of oil in the waters of Hai Phong.
The department has conducted 20 inspections to assess compliance with the law in terms of alcohol, electricity, foreign-related goods trading, supermarket operations, and e-commerce. As a result, 40 entities violating regulations on business activities were discovered, resulting in administrative fines totaling over 1 billion VND./.