Photo: VOV

Bustling cross-border trade amid growing imports and exports

Border import and export activities have been relatively brisk, with import and export turnover through major border gates nationwide seeing constant growth.

Growing imports and exports through border gates

According to the Lang Son Provincial Customs, between the beginning of the year and the end of August, the total import and export turnover through the province reached over US$40 billion, an increase of over 26.58% on-year in which, the total turnover of goods declared through Lang Son Customs Department hit more than US$3.3 billion.

The Management Board of Dong Dang - Lang Son Border Gate Economic Zone said that during the National Day holiday on September 2 this year, border gates in the locality will still carry out normal import and export activities throughout the province at the international border gates of Huu Nghi, Tan Thanh, Coc Nam, Chi Ma, and Dong Dang international station border gate.

The two border gates of Na Hinh and Na Nua are still operating normally, however, from May until now no import and export goods have been cleared through the two border gates.

Import and export activities through border gates in the northern province of Lao Cai were also relatively bustling, with trade in goods seeing an improvement in August. Customs clearance of goods at the Lao Cai - Ha Khau international border gate took place smoothly, without facing any congestion or blockage.

The export staples included durian, peeled wood, dragon fruit, jackfruit, banana, and longan. In contrast, the import items were flowers, ornamental plants, fresh fruit and vegetables, coke, fertilizer, machinery and equipment, confectionery, and electricity.

Currently, the value of exported goods has increased sharply compared to previous months, primarily due to the durian crop from the Central Highlands and imported fruit and vegetables now being in their main season.

At the international railway station border gates, customs clearance activities are maintained with 04-06 departure and arrival on trains per day, with the average monthly import and export value raking in roughly US$280 million, cited VOV.

During the past eight months, the total value of import and export, purchase and sale, and exchange of goods through border gates in Lao Cai is estimated to be at nearly US$2.3 billion, an annual rise of 71.65%, thereby meeting 50.48% of the plan.

Particularly at Kim Thanh International Road Border Gate No. II, customs clearance activities were launched both actively and smoothly, with the total import-export value during the eight-month period hitting US$1.768 billion.

Some of the major export items through this border gate include durian, dragon fruit, jackfruit, lychee, and various types of wood. In the opposite direction, Vietnam mainly imports fruit and vegetables of all kinds, fertilizers, electricity, chemicals, along with machinery and equipment.

At the Mong Cai - Quang Ninh border gate area, as of mid-August the Mong Cai Border Gate Customs Branch has attracted 1,071 enterprises making procedures through the area, including 259 businesses in the province and 812 firms outside the locality.

The branch processed close to 55,400 declarations with a total import-export turnover of US$2.426 billion, an increase of 13% in declarations and 18% in turnover compared to the same period from last year.

Boosting cross-border imports and exports

Determining that the border gate economy represents an important element in the economy of border localities, as well as the whole country, ministries, sectors, and localities have been making every effort to carry out import and export solutions through border gates.

During his working trip to Lao Cai on August 30, Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien inspected the Kim Thanh - Lao Cai border gate. The Minister also requested that the locality focus on investing in logistics infrastructure, warehouses, and yards, especially in the Lao Cai Border Gate Economic Zone in a bid to facilitate the stronger development and better circulation of goods and effectively exploit the border gate economy. This can be done as a contribution to building Lao Cai into a center for trade links between Vietnam and ASEAN member states with the Southwest region of China and further to Eastern Europe.

In the northern province of Lang Son, competent agencies will continue to synchronously deploy solutions to create efficiency and to further facilitate customs clearance such as regularly grasping and disseminating import-export related information to businesses. This will be done while simultaneously accelerating negotiations with the Chinese side to promptly resolve arising difficulties and problems.

This is in addition to regulating the flow of import and export vehicles during peak times, as well as strengthening administrative reform in order to deal with import and export procedures.

These efforts also include continuing to give advice and to orient development planning and infrastructure investment to suit each border gate area.

UNESCO praises Vietnam's contributions to natural sciences

Assistant Director-General of UNESCO for Natural Sciences Lidia Arthur Brito has commended Vietnam for its significant contributions to UNESCO's natural science initiatives while meeting in Paris with Ambassador Nguyen Thi Van Anh, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to UNESCO.

Brito is scheduled to visit Vietnam from September 9-12. During her trip, she will attend the 8th International Conference of the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network for the Asia-Pacific region, taking place in the northern province of Cao Bang from September 5-17.

At the August 30 meeting, highlighting Vietnam's eagerness to welcome Brito next month, Anh said the country is committed to collaborating with UNESCO in the fields of natural sciences and oceanography, according to VNA.

Ambassador Nguyen Thi Van Anh (L), Permanent Representative of Vietnam to UNESCO, and Assistant Director-General of UNESCO for Natural Sciences Lidia Arthur Brito at their meeting in Paris on August 30. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam appreciates UNESCO's support and advice on programs related to the environment, climate, and water security, she said.

The diplomat also expressed her hope for strengthened future cooperation with UNESCO and called for continued assistance to Vietnam's dossier-compiling efforts to establish new global geoparks and biosphere reserves.

For her part, Brito praised the efforts of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO and Cao Bang in preparing for the upcoming conference.

On this occasion, the UNESCO official said she wishes to meet with leaders of relevant Vietnamese ministries and localities to discuss current collaboration programs and new cooperation orientations.

The conference in Cao Bang is expected to host nearly 1,000 domestic and international delegates. Held biennially across the Asia-Pacific region, it aims to share experiences, effective models, and measures serving the development of UNESCO-designated geoparks, facilitating the exchange of best practices among network members.

Coastal, island localities boost green tourism

Several coastal and island localities have devised strategies and action plans aimed at raising environmental awareness and promoting sustainable tourism, including carrying out plastic waste reduction measures.

The Vietnam tourism system planning scheme for the 2021 to 2030 period, with a vision towards 2045, defines coastal and island tourism as one of the main product lines. It emphasizes the importance of sustainable tourism development in conjunction with environmental protection and effective climate change response. By 2030, all tourist areas, accommodation establishments, and other coastal service businesses, are expected to eliminate the use of single-use plastic products and non-biodegradable plastic bags.

Phu Quoc, a famous tourist destination located in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang, attracts about 5.5 million visitors annually. According to the municipal authorities, with a strong commitment to develop a green and sustainable economy, including tourism, the city is set to completely ban single-use plastic products in coastal tourist areas and for use by night market vendors by 2025. Moreover, by that time 80% of the areas within the Phu Quoc marine protected area will be free of plastic waste, VOV reported.

Phu Quoc island in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang is making every effort to promote green tourism.

Similarly, Con Dao district in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau, which is another impressive coastal and island tourist destination, has implemented a 2022 to 2025 project on research and application of circular economy models for sustainable socio-economic development. Under the terms of the project, various activities are being launched, such as training sessions on waste sorting at source and commitments from the local tourism association and transport companies to reduce plastic use in their services.

For green tourism linked to sustainable environmental protection to succeed, it requires more than just awareness campaigns and pilot models. It demands the voluntary and persistent efforts of every citizen, tourist, and service provider through specific and practical actions.

A representative of Nicobar Con Dao Hotel revealed that the hotel has replaced plastic water bottles with glass ones, while also offering guests shampoo and shower gel in small, reusable glass bottles.

Similarly, The Secret Con Dao Hotel and Six Senses Con Dao Resort have made efforts by installing water filtration systems to avoid using single-use plastic bottles.

Vietnamese-funded secondary school inaugurated in Laos

The Vietnamese-funded Thong Nhat secondary school was inaugurated on August 31 in Khammouane and handed over to the association of Vietnamese in the Lao central province.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Vu Dai Thang, member of the Vietnamese Party Central Committee and Secretary of the Quang Binh provincial Party’s Committee, said the school is a gift from the Vietnamese Government with the central province of Quang Binh working as the project's investor. The project aims to preserve and promote Vietnamese cultural identity within the Vietnamese community in Khammouane, while providing better educational opportunities for local students.

Thang expressed his hope that, alongside the Laos-Vietnam Friendship School, Khammouane-Quang Binh, the Thong Nhat secondary school would become a symbol of the two provinces’ special solidarity and comprehensive and enduring cooperation, VNA reported.

At the inauguration ceremony of the Thong Nhat secondary school in Laos's Khammouane province on August 31. (Photo: VNA)

Nguyen Van Hung, President of the Vietnamese Association in Khammouane, extended heartfelt gratitude to leaders and people of Quang Binh for their generous support in building the fully equipped and modern secondary school.

He said that the school would serve as a hub for preserving and promoting Vietnamese cultural identity in Khammouane. Addressing the legitimate needs of the Vietnamese expatriate community, it will focus on teaching, learning, and the preservation of Vietnamese language for their children and local Lao students.

The construction of the school, with a total investment of 25 billion VND (1 million USD), began in April last year on an area of nearly 3,500 square meters provided by the Lao province to the association. The school has a three-story classroom building with a total floor area of over 1,400 square meters, including 19 rooms, fully equipped with resources for 11 theory classrooms, one practical classroom, a library, and additional facilities.

On the occasion, Quang Binh donated 150 million VND to the school for purchasing teaching and learning materials. Following the handover ceremony, its students and teachers began their first classes of the 2024-2025 academic year.

Son La offers visitors a myriad of activities during National Day holiday

The tourism sector of Son La Province has planned a myriad of activities to serve tourists during the upcoming National Day holiday, which lasts from August 31 to September 3.

A festival celebrating the new rice season is taking place in Ngoc Chien Commune, Muong La District, featuring a rice-making contest and art performances praising the Party, President Ho Chi Minh, and the beautiful landscape of the locality.

Various cultural and arts activities are also taking place across other districts in Son La Province, including a rural market in Yen Chau District, a culture and tourism week in Moc Chau District, and a sports tournament in Thuan Chau District, cited NDO.

A performance at the festival celebrating the new rice season in Ngoc Chien Commune, Son La Province. (Photo: NDO)

On the occasion, visitors to Moc Chau Island Tourist Site can take part in assorted activities imbued with traditional cultural values of local ethnic groups, including the reproduction of a traditional wedding of Thai ethnic people, a fair displaying local specialties and souvenirs.

They can also join exciting folk games such as walking in stilts, and bamboo pole dance.

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