Vietnam News Today(May 31): Vietnam seeks US assistance with COVID-19 vaccine supply

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(Photo: Machine Supply)

Vietnam seeks US assistance with COVID-19 vaccine supply

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on May 30 cabled a letter to US President Joe Biden, expecting the US will continue to help Vietnam and other countries get access to COVID-19 vaccine supplies. President Phuc highly appreciated the US’s US$4 billion commitment to the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, one of the three pillars of the United Nations sponsored COVAX Facility.

He also informed President Biden that Vietnam has received approximately 2.5 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine from the COVAX Facility.

President Phuc also welcomed the US’s commitment to contribute 80 million more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to the international community’s joint efforts in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic developing in a complex manner in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.

He expressed hope the US would continue to support Vietnam and other countries in accessing vaccine supplies. He also suggested that the two sides strengthen cooperation in the research, production and technology transfer of COVID-19 vaccines, as reported by VOV.

Ho Chi Minh City to impose 15-day social distancing

Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee has decided to impose 15-day social distancing in the entire city, starting from May 31.

The decision was made this morning at an urgent meeting on COVID-19 response, with the attendance of Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh who was assigned to oversee the COVID-19 pandemic fight in the southern metropolis.

(Photo: VGP)

Under Directive No. 15, issued on March 27, 2020, all events and meetings with more than 20 participants in a room shall be banned.

A gathering of 10 people and more outside public offices, schools and hospitals is not allowed.

People are required to keep a distance of at least two meters from each other in public places while all service establishments are required to close, except for those selling essential goods and services.

Travel will be restricted from pandemic-hit areas to other localities.

The municipal People’s Committee also decided to impose 15- day social distancing in Go Vap district and Thanh Loc ward of district 12 in accordance with the Government’s Directive No. 16/CT-TTg.

Directive No. 16, issued on March 31, 2020, specifies higher level of social distancing, requiring people to stay at home and only go out if really necessary.

The directive bans the gathering of more than two people outside public offices, schools, hospitals and public places.

Ho Chi Minh City is one of the 34 localities being hit by the current fourth COVID-19 wave. As of 12:00 am on May 30, the city recorded 108 positive cases, most of them linked to the Revival Ekklesia Mission in Go Vap district, as reported by VGP.

Ha Noi orders 9th, 12th grade students not to leave city before key exams

Ha Noi Department of Education and Training has ordered ninth-grade pupils not to leave the city until they finish their high-school entrance examination.

The high-school entrance examination is expected to take place on June 10-11.

(Photo: VGP)

The municipal department also ordered twelfth graders not to leave the city until they finish the national high-school examination scheduled on July 7-8.

The move aims to protect health of students amid surge of local infection cases (4,034) in 34 cities and provinces since late last month, VGP reported.

Fresh Vietnamese lychees hit the shelves in Japan

About 50 tonnes of fresh Vietnamese lychees grown in Bac Giang province have arrived in Japan and they are now available for sale at local supermarkets.

“After the first successful consignment of lychees to Japan, which was highly appreciated by local consumers, we are continuing to purchase lychees for export to this market. On average, our company exports between four to six tonnes of the fruit every day to Japan,” Phuong says.

“After the first successful consignment of lychees to Japan, which was highly appreciated by local consumers, we are continuing to purchase lychees for export to this market. On average, our company exports between four to six tonnes of the fruit every day to Japan,” Phuong says.

According to Nguyen Van Tho, deputy director of the Center for Industry and Trade Promotion of the Bac Giang Department of Industry and Trade, this year Japanese importers have agreed to import about 1,000 tonnes of lychees from Bac Giang. The 20-tonne batch shipped to Japan recently has been sold out in the market at the price of 1,650 Yen or US$15 per kilogram.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development reports that so far this year about 50 tonnes of fresh lychees have been exported to Japan.

This year Bac Giang has developed 28,100ha of land under lychee cultivation which is expected to churn out 180,000 tonnes of fresh product. The lychee growing areas meeting the VietGAP and GlobalGap standards are 15,200ha and 82ha respectively.

Besides Japan, the United States and Australia are also Vietnam’s potential export markets of the juicy fruit, according to VOV.

Rice exports set to see bright prospects in coming months

Vietnam’s rice exports are anticipated to continue rising during the second half of the year due to high demand for the staple caused by the complicated nature of the COVID-19 pandemic globally, according to industry insiders. The Ministry of Industry and Trade reports the country exported 1.89 million tonnes of rice worth US$1.01 billion during the opening four months of the year, representing an annual decrease of 10.8% in volume despite being a rise of 1.2% in value.

The average export price of rice throughout the reviewed period climbed by 13.4% to reach US$534 per tonne against the same period from last year.

The Philippines makes up the largest buyer of Vietnamese rice with 36.3% of the overall market share, followed by China, the Ivory Coast, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, Australia, and Cambodia.

(Photo: VOV)

The structure of Vietnamese rice exports has shifted to fragrant rice and high-quality rice, while both farmers and traders have also increasingly taken an interest in improving product quality and origin traceability. Indeed, this is being done to meet the stringent standards set by demanding markets, such as the European Union, the Republic of Korea, and the United States.

Experts also reveal that local rice exports are poised to enjoy a number of advantages in the upcoming months of the year as China has brought the COVID-19 pandemic under control, and rice exports to this market are set to rise in the near future.

Moving forward, Vietnamese rice exports are expected to enjoy competitive advantages thanks to the implementation of preferential tariffs brought in by these FTAs, with huge export opportunities to the EU, UK, and Eurasian Economic Union, VOV said.

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