Tran Van Manh, vice president and general secretary of the Vietnam Federation of UNESCO Associations, and Editor-in-Chief of Ngay Nay Magazine, represents Vietnam, at the AFUCA Executive Board meeting in Almaty, Kazakhstan on April 2. (Photo: ngaynay.vn)

Vietnam elected vice president of Asia-Pacific UNESCO Clubs and Associations

Vietnam has been elected vice president of the Asia-Pacific Federation of UNESCO Clubs and Associations (AFUCA) at the federation’s 26th executive board meeting held in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on April 2.

Tran Van Manh, vice president and general secretary of the Vietnam Federation of UNESCO Associations, and Editor-in-Chief of Ngay Nay Magazine, represented Vietnam, at the meeting.

Manh joined representatives of 13 AFUCA member countries examining the federation’s operations in 2021-2022 and preparations for the 10th congress of the World Federation of UNESCO Clubs and Associations. They also approved amendments and supplements to the AFUCA Charter and elected key posts of AFUCA in the new term.

Delegates hailed a Vietnam report focusing on many meaningful and practical programmes and activities in the fields of culture, science, education and information and communication, cited VOV.

Established in 1974, the Asia-Pacific Federation of UNESCO Clubs and Associations aims to promote collaboration among UNESCO Clubs and Associations, and to encourage growth and establishment of UNESCO Clubs and Associations in the Asia-Pacific region.

Since joining AFUCA in 1996, the Vietnam Federation of UNESCO Associations has always been evaluated as one of the most active associations in the region, with many substantive and effective contributions to the UNESCO movement. Vietnam also held the position of vice president of AFUCA from 1999 to 2004.

State visit to Vietnam by Australian Governor-General to deepen the two’s goodwill, trust: expert

The State visit to Vietnam by Australian Governor-General David Hurley at an invitation of President Vo Van Thuong will deepen the goodwill and trust for the mutual benefit of both countries, said Dr Suiwah Leung, Honourary Associate Professor at the Australian National University’s Crawford School of Public Policy.In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency, she said the visit to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic relations are important at the governmental/diplomatic level and supported by those at other levels, adding that in the case of Vietnam and Australia, their relations at the academic level have been highly significant.

According to her, when Doi Moi (Renewal) was started in Vietnam in the late 1980s, many talented Vietnamese scholars were chosen to come to the ANU to undertake studies in “market economics”. These scholars were funded by the Australian aid agency (AusAID), now part of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

Upon completion of their studies, they returned home to their respective positions in the Vietnamese Government, academy and universities, and were largely responsible for implementing the various phases of economic reforms which resulted in Vietnam's becoming a middle-income country within about 20 years, and participating actively in regional and international organisations such as ASEAN and the World Trade Organisation, according to VNA.

Australian Governor-General David Hurley (Photo: abc.net.au)

Australian Government-funded scholarships in the region and in Vietnam in particular have been generally regarded as one of the most effective forms of development assistance, she added.

The expert also said that rapid economic growth and development in Vietnam has benefited both countries as Australian exports to Vietnam have been growing at an average of some 12% since 2013, and the export of education services, in particular, has seen more than 26,000 Vietnamese students studying in Australia by 2019.

There is room, however, for improvement in the export of other services such as tourism and IT, as well as more investments in Vietnam on the part of the Australian business sector.

Meanwhile, schemes such as the New Colombo Plan have enabled more than 4,500 undergraduate students from Australian universities to spend time in Vietnam learning about its people, culture, language and ways of doing business which should, in time, enhance business contacts and investment flows.

The recent establishment of the Vietnam-Australia Centre at the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics in Hanoi is very much welcomed, and shows the degree of goodwill and trust that has developed between the two countries, she added.

Activities underway to promote culture of Vietnamese ethnic groups

A series of activities are taking place at the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism in Hanoi’s suburban Son Tay township from April 1 to May 3 to celebrate Vietnamese Ethnic Groups’ Culture Day (April 19).

The highlight of the series will be the re-enactment of a traditional market session from the northern province of Lao Cai, that showcases local farm produce and food, as well as tourism products.

Visitor will also be treated to a musical programme, folk games, and performances of the art of Khen (panpipe) of the Mong ethnic group, VOV reported.

Photo: VOV

Ethnic festivals will be re-enacted in the national village throughout April, including a wedding ceremony of the M’nong ethnic people in Dak Nong province, as well as a Gong festival of the Central Highlands region.

Furthermore, guests will have the chance to enjoy cultural exchanges with the Xo Dang ethnic community from Kon Tum province.

The activities aim to celebrate Vietnamese Ethnic Groups’ Culture Day which is held on April 19 annually to honour the cultural values of ethnic groups and the country’s cultural diversity.

Vietnamese, Chinese localities look to boost investment cooperation

Vice chairman of the northern province of Cao Bang Nguyen Trung Thao has suggested companies from the locality and the city of Baise in Guangxi Autonomous Region of China prioritise capital to potential sectors such as logistics, processing-manufacturing, and high technology.

During a working session between the localities on April 2, he also called for promoting ties in agriculture, education, health, tourism, trade and services as well as supporting the economic development in the border areas, cited VNA.

An overview of the working session between the two localities. (Photo: VNA)

For his part, Li Yucheng, vice mayor of Baise administration, said the city has the potential for border economic development and a close relationship with Cao Bang province, saying this is a condition for the two sides to further develop their trade relations.

Cao Bang is considered an important gateway for investment from the Chinese city to Vietnam and also the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), he noted.

The official said he expects Cao Bang province to promote market expansion, adding that the city commits to offering incentives for Cao Bang enterprises.

On the occasion, representatives of the Cao Bang Economic Zone Management Board and the Baise Department of Commerce held talks, during which they exchanged ideas on measures to boost trade and improve the business environment at the border gates.

Cao Bang currently has six border gates with China.

Vietnam’s rice sells at good prices in Asia, Europe

Asian clients, including China and Indonesia, have unexpectedly increased purchases of rice from Vietnam.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) reported that after witnessing minus growth rates in the first two months of the year, rice exports in March unexpectedly soared with export turnover reaching $480 million, an increase of 82.6 percent over February.

At present, Vietnam’s 5 percent broken rice is selling at $450 per ton, an increase of $5 per ton over the $440-445 per ton earlier this month.

Businesses said the rice prices went up because shipments to China have recovered, while Indonesia is buying more rice to improve its national reserves.

As of the end of March, Vietnam had exported 1.79 million tons of rice, earning $952 million, up 19.3 percent in quantity and 30.2 percent in value in comparison with the same period in 2022.

The average export price in the first three months of the year was $531 per ton, up by 9.2 percent over the same period last year, VNN reported.

The Philippines was the biggest consumer of Vietnam’s rice in the first two months of the year with 43.3 percent of market share.

Nearly 402,000 tons of rice were exported to the market during that time, which brought turnover of $204.7 million, a 25 percent decrease in quantity and 17.8 percent in value compared with the same period last year.

Analysts commented that Vietnam’s rice unexpectedly is selling for good prices in Asian markets. Rice exports to China in the first two months of 2023 brought turnover of $90 million, up 120.5 percent, while exports to Singapore increased by 40.6 percent.

Photo: VNN

However, the sharpest increase was seen in the Indonesian market, which consumed $67.3 million worth of Vietnam’s rice in the first two months. This represented a record high growth rate of 30,352 percent compared with the first two months of 2022. Indonesia now consumes 14.3 percent of Vietnam’s total rice exports.

Vietnam Trade Office in Indonesia cited Indonesia's Ministry of Trade as saying that Indonesia plans to import 2 million tons of rice for national reserves in 2023.

The imports will be used for the rice price stabilization program, support to 21.53 million poor households and other purposes. Preum Bulog is going to import 500,000 tons as soon as possible. This is a great opportunity for Vietnam to boost rice exports to Indonesia.

In mid-February, Quang Tri province exported 15 tons of organic rice to Europe for $1,800 per ton. Quang Tri Organic Agro Products, the exporter, plans to export 30-50 tons of organic rice to Europe each month.

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