Dong Ho folk painting "The Mouse's Wedding".
Titled “How family kept a centuries – old Vietnamese painting alive?”, the video has attracted 100,000 views since its initial release on February 5, reported VOV.
It tells the story of the history of Dong Ho paintings in the northern province of Bac Ninh, along with the people who are still making art this way in Dong Ho village.
According to the clip, Dong Ho paintings - a genre of the Vietnamese fork woodcut painting dating back in the 17th century - are printed on special Dzo paper made of bark of Dzo tree in Vietnam.
Paintings depict subjects found in everyday life and serve to reflect people’s dreams for a prosperous and happy life. Local people typically buy Dong Ho paintings to decorate their homes during the Lunar New Year festival, known locally as Tet.
The village is normally busy all year round, with up to 17 clans involved in making paintings. However, the art form died out during the past wars.
At present, the production of Dong Ho paintings is not as prosperous as it had been in the past. Many families in the village have since quit doing this craft, although descendants of artisan Nguyen Huu Sam considered as a “living treasure” of the village are still practicing it.
The COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a heavy blow to all business activities, and the making of Dong Ho folk paintings is no exception. However, villagers are practicing the trade to make ends meet and more importantly to preserve and pass down this art form to younger generations.
Vietnam - Russia trade hits 6.3 billion USD in 11 months of 2021
According to Vietnamese Trade Counselor in Russia Duong Hoang Minh who cited statistics from the Federal Customs Service of Russia, the two-way trade between Vietnam and Russia hit 6.3 billion USD in the first 11 months of 2021, up 21.7 percent year-on-year.
Among the key agricultural exports to Russia that posted strong values in January – November last year were coffee with 153 million USD (up 20 percent) (Photo: VNA)
During the period, Vietnam exported 4.5 billion USD worth of goods to Russia, posting a yearly rise of 20.4 percent, reported VNA.
Vietnam's plant-based exports to Russia fetched 282 million USD, up 21.6 percent over the same period last year.
Among the key agricultural exports to Russia that posted strong values in January – November last year were coffee with 153 million USD (up 20 percent); fruit and nuts, 75.5 million USD (up 38 percent).
Dried mango is a noteworthy export as it raked in 9.1 million USD, 10 percent higher than that reported in the same period of 2020, and accounting for over 92 percent of Russia’s total import value of this commodity.
Plenty of room for Vietnam’s agricultural, aquatic, foodstuff products in Japanese market
According to the Vietnamese Trade Office in Japan , there is plenty of room for Vietnam’s agricultural, aquatic and foodstuff products to gain a bigger market share in Japan as the country has high demand for those imported.
Illustrative photo. (Source: VNA)
Despite impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, two-way trade between the two countries reached 42.7 billion USD in 2021, up 7.8 percent against the previous year, data from the trade office showed, reported VNA.
Vietnam’s exports to Japan totalled 20.1 billion USD last year, up 4.4 percent year-on-year, while imports were worth 22.6 billion USD, up 11.3 percent. Vietnam exported 1.8 billion USD worth of agricultural and aquatic products to Japan, a year-on-year decrease of 0.5 percent.
Except for aquatic products, a key export item, recording a 7.4-percent decline, the remaining items saw good growth, particularly coffee (25.5 percent), vegetables and fruits (20 percent), cashew nuts (39 percent), and pepper (56 percent).
Notably, some Vietnamese fruits are gaining popularity among Japanese consumers with a growing market share, such as dragon fruit, mango, coconut and lychee.
The Vietnamese products are winning favour of not only local customers but also consumers from other Asian countries living in Japan. They have become more and more popular on shelves of major Japanese retail chains, including AEON, Donkihote, and Itoyokado, the trade office said.
The Vietnamese Trade Office in Japan has been making all possible efforts to boost Vietnam’s agricultural and aquatic product exports to Japan. It has accelerated partnership with the Ministry of Industry and Trade and local administrations of both countries to organise virtual seminars introducing Vietnam’s products and connect exporters and importers.
It has also released a series of manuals to provide help for Vietnamese exporters looking to enter a high-standard market like Japan. Each manual covers a specific type of product, from seafood, beverage, to spices, clothing and timber products.
Vietnam to export durian to China via official channels
Vietnamese enterprises must strictly comply with set regulations relating to origin traceability, growing area, and packaging codes in order to export durian to China in a sustainable manner via official channels, according to industry insiders.
According to VOV, the Import and Export Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade has outlined that durian consumption in China from 2010 to the present has witnessed rapid growth, maintaining an annual average of more than 16%.
At present, China is the largest consumer of Vietnamese durian, but the fruit in the peeled and frozen form has been shipped via unofficial channels.
Le Thanh Tung, deputy director of the Department of Crop Production, revealed that although both sides have finalised the negotiation process for a protocol on official export of the fruit, these procedures have been suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Details given by the Plant Protection Department indicate that businesses are required to meet stringent standards in terms of codes for growing areas and packaging facility, which have been granted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and then given approval by the General Administration of Customs of China.
To this end, experts suggested that businesses establish large raw material areas, and particularly change the farming and trading methods to export the fruit to the Chinese market in a sustainable manner.
At present, localities are also accelerating negotiations and submitting necessary documents to the Chinese authorities for the granting of a cultivation area code for durian.
They have been gradually improving the overall product quality by applying high-technology in farming activities, contributing to building up raw material zones for durian under VietGAP standards with an origin traceability stamp on their products.
These moves can be considered important factors in helping the Vietnamese fruit gain entry to China via official channels.
Vietnamese trade turnover hits US$3.05 billion during Tet holiday
Vietnam's imports and exports during the Lunar New Year (Tet), from January 29 to February 6 reached US$3.05 billion, representing a rise of 83% compared to the same period last year, VOV cited the details given by the General Department of Vietnam Customs.
In line with the figure, exports and imports reached US$1.47 billion and US$1.58 billion, respectively, duly accounting for 48% and 52% of the total import-export value.
Since the beginning of the year to the end of February 6, the nation posted a trade surplus of US$0.68 billion, with Vietnamese goods being exported to 109 countries and territories globally.
Phone components, computers, electronic products and components make up the largest import and export items throughout the reviewed period.
China remains the largest export market for Vietnamese goods, while the Republic of Korea (RoK) became Vietnam's biggest import market during the Tet holiday.
Most notably, Vietnamese exports to the Chinese market witnessed the highest growth with a value of US$400 million, accounting for 27.3% of the total export value, trailed by the US with US$347.6 million, the RoK with US$86 million, Hong Kong (China) with US$59 million, and Japan with US$41.8 million.
Furthermore, Vietnamese enterprises imported goods from 81 countries and territories globally, mostly from the RoK with US$547.8 million, China with US$349 million, the US with US$104.7 million, Taiwan (China) with US$84.7 million, and the Republic of Ireland with US$72.1 million./.